  Here we compute the static potential in scalar $QED_3$ at leading order in
$1/N_f$. We show that the addition of a non-minimal coupling of Pauli-type
($\eps j^{\mu}\partial^{\nu}A^{\alpha}$), although it breaks parity, it does
not change the analytic structure of the photon propagator and consequently the
static potential remains logarithmic (confining) at large distances. The
non-minimal coupling modifies the potential, however, at small charge
separations giving rise to a repulsive force of short range between opposite
sign charges, which is relevant for the existence of bound states. This effect
is in agreement with a previous calculation based on M$\ddot{o}$ller
scattering, but differently from such calculation we show here that the
repulsion appears independently of the presence of a tree level Chern-Simons
term which rather affects the large distance behavior of the potential turning
it into constant.
