A qualificação da investigação criminal no Rio Grande do Norte: fatores determinantes para a elucidação dos homicídios

Abstract

The protection of the fundamental right to life calls for the fulfillment of positive obligations by the State, wherein criminal investigation is no longer a mere bureaucratic routine, but becomes a vital tool for the realization of human rights. From the standpoint of the conventional duty of due diligence, this thesis aims to analyze which acts, procedures and techniques are more closely associated with success in solving homicides in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, considering criminal prosecution as an effective guarantee of access to justice, redress for victims and the protection of human dignity. To this effect, this research has taken a mixed methodological approach bringing together documentary research and comparative statistical analysis from a stratified sample made up of 176 police inquiries involving consummated intentional homicides (86 solved and 86 unsolved) instituted between 2021 and 2025 in ten municipalities of the State of Rio Grande do Norte showing high death rates. The collection procedure was made by using a standardized analytical form for converting procedural narratives into structured data, which have been tested for correlation and cross-tabulation. This study has also comprised an analysis of court precedents by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as a regulatory basis for establishing the duty to investigate and interpret the empirical findings. The results show that the traditional investigation model - based on testimonial evidence and bureaucratic recordkeeping -, has a residual efficacy with a clearance rate of only 35%. On the other hand, the use of qualified technological resources, such as cross-checking data, breach of telematic confidentiality and geolocation analysis, raises the probability of success to 66%. It has also become plain that proactive measures of search and seizure are closely associated with the cases of successful investigation. As far as the forensic framework is concerned, the research showed that the implantation of the National Ballistic Analysis System was crucial to identify ballistic connections between cases and revealing serial murder patterns. From an institutional perspective, the specialized units outperformed general police stations in solving cases. In conclusion, the merely testimonial model falls short of meeting the conventional obligation of due diligence. Overcoming impunity and the ensuing protection of the right to life depend on transitioning to an investigative rationale grounded in a triad of analytical technology, functional specialization, and proactive policing.