Law enforcement in Peru
Encyclopedia
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Policía Nacional del Perú, PNP) is the national police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. The PNP functions at both a state and local level. Peruvian cities and districts of Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
have a dedicated municipal police
Municipal police
.Municipal police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government, including the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive pay from the city budget, and usually have fewer rights than the "state paid" police...
force with limited jurisdiction known roughly as a "Watchman
Watchman
Watchman or Watchmen may refer to:*Watchman , a member of a group who provided law enforcement**Security guard or watchman, a person who watches over and protects property, assets, or people...
Unit" (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Unidad de Serenazgo). Serenazgo officers have less jurisdiction than the PNP but are not technically a neighborhood watch
Neighborhood watch
A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch , also called a crime watch or neighborhood crime watch, is an organized group of citizens devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within a neighborhood...
, which is composed of civilians.
Former Peruvian police forces
- The Peruvian Civil GuardCivil Guard (Peru)The Civil Guard in Peru was formed as main preventive police force of Peru in 1922. It was organized and trained by a Spanish police mission sent to Peru at that time. It was not a detective force, investigations being carried out by the Investigative Police of Peru founded in the same year, while...
was formed in 1924 as Peru's main preventive police force. It later became the General Police, which in 1989 was merged into the National Police. - The Peruvian Republican GuardRepublican Guard (Peru)The Peruvian Republican Guard was a Peruvian security force responsibility for border control, custody of the prisons, and guarding significant government buildings.-History:...
existed between 1919 and 1986. - The Peruvian Investigative PolicePeruvian Investigative PoliceThe Policía de Investigaciones del Perú or Peruvian Investigative Police were a Peruvian plainclothes police unit, similar to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation , whose function was to investigate crimes, gather intelligence, and fight subversion...
existed from 1957 to 1987.
Historical secret police organizations
- Peruvian State Security
- DIRCOTEDIRCOTEThe Counter-Terrorist Directorate is the branch of the National Police of Peru that is responsible for Peru's anti-terrorist law enforcement efforts....
(Anti-Terrorism Directorate)