El artículo describe las tensiones y confrontaciones políticas en Venezuela durante el último bienio y su repercusión en el desempeño policial en materia de orden público, particularmente a nivel urbano. Se destaca la insuficiencia del marco constitucional y legal, a pesar de su reglamentismo, para dilucidar competencias, evitar la confrontación y facilitar la definición situacional del orden público en función de las expectativas poblacionales a nivel local. Se sugiere la superación de un marco referencial feudalista para orientar la función policial en esta materia.

This article describes the political tensions and confrontations in Venezuela during the last two years and their impact on the functioning of the police in maintaining public order, especially in the urban areas. Despite an abundance of regulations, the author argues that the constitutional and legal framework is inadequate when it comes to delimiting the respective competences of the different police authorities, avoiding confrontations and, above all, responding to the needs and expectations of the populations at the local level. The article ends by suggesting that the existing, and almost feudal, legal and organizational structure needs to be replaced in order to permit any serious policy designed to solve the problem.