Resumen

GAMALLO, Leandro  y  ZAJAC, Joaquín. Tensions around community police deployment in grassroots neighborhoods of Buenos Aires during the COVID-19 pandemic. URVIO [online]. 2025, n.41, pp.67-85. ISSN 1390-4299.  https://doi.org/10.17141/urvio.41.2025.6254.

Introduction: In recent years, several working-class neighborhoods in the City of Buenos Aires have experienced a specific policing strategy, which includes, among other elements, the deployment of federal military forces. Objective: This article examines the role of the Neighbourhood Prevention Units of the Argentine National Gendarmerie in two working-class neighborhoods of Buenos Aires during the mobility restrictions imposed between May 2020 and June 2021 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Methodology: Utilizing a quantitative approach based on the statistical analysis of police incident records, this study aims to describe the impact of proximity policing deployments in highly socially vulnerable contexts and to account for the transformations in policing practices brought about by the public health emergency. Conclusions: The findings reveal that law enforcement officers experienced an increased workload due to population control and public health enforcement responsibilities in the context of the pandemic. Additionally, the study describes practices associated with conflict resolution and addressing social demands and issues, which extend beyond crime suppression and the social control of marginalized populations, a type of work that became particularly prominent during the pandemic.

Palabras clave : Police; Pandemic; Social Conflict; Violence; Governance.

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