Formas de poder policial y experiencias juveniles en el sur occidente de Bogotá: entre coerción, legitimidad y control social (2021–2026)

Abstract

This study analyzes youth perceptions of the National Police in southwestern Bogotá, specifically in the localities of Kennedy and Bosa, during the period 2021–2026, based on the experiences and lived realities of young people residing in these territories. The tension between youth and the police force, particularly evident during the 2021 social unrest, has generated important questions regarding the exercise of power, institutional legitimacy, and forms of social control in popular urban contexts. In this sense, the study seeks to understand how young people construct their perceptions of the National Police in relation to coercion, legitimacy, and social control. The research was developed through a mixed-methods approach with a qualitative emphasis, integrating both quantitative and qualitative tools. The quantitative component provided measurable and comparable data through structured surveys, while the qualitative component, grounded in an interpretive and hermeneutic perspective, enabled a deeper understanding of the experiences, meanings, and emotions associated with police practices in everyday life. The findings reveal a widespread perception of disproportionate use of force, stigmatization of youth, and differential surveillance linked to territory, appearance, and social condition. Likewise, the study identifies a relationship marked by institutional distrust, in which obedience to police authority is often based more on fear and coercion than on the legitimate recognition of authority. Additionally, processes of self-regulation and behavioral modification emerge in response to police presence, reflecting the internalization of mechanisms of social control. Overall, the results demonstrate a crisis of institutional legitimacy and a reconfiguration of the relationship between youth and the National Police in southwestern Bogotá. In this context, social control extends beyond the direct use of force and becomes embedded in symbolic, territorial, and everyday dynamics that shape youth experiences in popular urban sectors.