Republican Guard (Peru)
Encyclopedia
The Peruvian Republican Guard (Guardia Republicana del Perú) was a Peruvian security force responsibility for border control, custody of the prisons, and guarding significant government buildings.
Entrance into the Guard was voluntary and by the 1980s the it numbered over 5,000 men. It was equipped with light infantry weapons, mostly carbine
s and submachine gun
s, and riot gear.
The Guard formed its own Parachute squadron in 1963. For most of its existence the Guard recruited directly from the Peruvian Army
and lacked its own training facilities, but then in 1973 it opened a Superior School for senior officer training. The Republican Guard Instruction Center was opened in 1977 and it was responsible for the training of all Guardsmen. It later absorbed the Superior School.
The Republican Guard became the Security Police (PS) in 1986(PS), during the police reorganization, it continued to have responsibility for border control, custody of the prisons, and guarding significant government buildings. The PS grew the most rapidly of all the police forces in the 1980s; from 6,450 in 1980 to 21,484 in 1986. Some 20 percent of the force was detailed to prison duty, with a large portion of the rest distributed among public buildings and 177 border stations. Budget difficulties have delayed the opening of more border control stations. The growing drug-trafficking problem across Peru's borders, particularly with Colombia and Brazil, provided the PS with additional challenges. The additional border posts were envisioned as one way to respond, because most were proposed for areas where the drug trafficking was believed to be concentrated. However, the growing prison population during the 1980s posed more difficulties for the PS; many had to do with the prisoners accused and/or convicted of terrorism.
In 1991 the Security Police became a part of the National Police of Peru
in compliance to national security laws.
History
The Republican Guard originally started as a regiment of the Peruvian Gendarmerie (Gendarmería Nacional del Perú) which was founded in 1852. In 1919 the Republican Guard was separated from the Gendarmerie and enlarged and its duties expended to patrolling the land frontiers, security of prisons, security of private and public places of national importance, and to assist in maintaining peace and order, and preserving the security of the state.Entrance into the Guard was voluntary and by the 1980s the it numbered over 5,000 men. It was equipped with light infantry weapons, mostly carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s and submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
s, and riot gear.
The Guard formed its own Parachute squadron in 1963. For most of its existence the Guard recruited directly from the Peruvian Army
Peruvian Army
The Peruvian Army is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding internal security, conducting disaster relief operations...
and lacked its own training facilities, but then in 1973 it opened a Superior School for senior officer training. The Republican Guard Instruction Center was opened in 1977 and it was responsible for the training of all Guardsmen. It later absorbed the Superior School.
The Republican Guard became the Security Police (PS) in 1986(PS), during the police reorganization, it continued to have responsibility for border control, custody of the prisons, and guarding significant government buildings. The PS grew the most rapidly of all the police forces in the 1980s; from 6,450 in 1980 to 21,484 in 1986. Some 20 percent of the force was detailed to prison duty, with a large portion of the rest distributed among public buildings and 177 border stations. Budget difficulties have delayed the opening of more border control stations. The growing drug-trafficking problem across Peru's borders, particularly with Colombia and Brazil, provided the PS with additional challenges. The additional border posts were envisioned as one way to respond, because most were proposed for areas where the drug trafficking was believed to be concentrated. However, the growing prison population during the 1980s posed more difficulties for the PS; many had to do with the prisoners accused and/or convicted of terrorism.
In 1991 the Security Police became a part of the National Police of Peru
National Police of Peru
The Peruvian National Police is the national police force of Peru. Its jurisdiction covers the nation's land, sea, and air territories. Formed from the merger of the Investigative Police, the Civil Guard, and the Republican Guard in 1988, it is one of the largest police forces in Latin America...
in compliance to national security laws.