The violent protests in downtown Lima of last Saturday they returned to place in the eye of the storm the actions of the troops of the National Police of Peru (PNP) and the disadvantages they have in responding to the furious attacks of the protesters. Thus, it is evident that the members of the National Police suffer from many logistical deficiencies.
According to the General Regulation of PNP Uniforms, approved by Directorial Resolution 075-2016-DIRGEN/EMG-PNP of July 19, 2016, the agents that participate in the control of demonstrations must use the “Uniform No. 8: FAENA”. This consists of a shirt, polo shirt, pants, boots, trimmings, belt, cap, sweater, socks, cape and jacket in the case of a cold area.
In hot areas, or during the summer, the basic uniform is the work uniform, but with a short-sleeved shirt and a regulation gray polo shirt.
During the demonstrations, these garments must be complemented with a riot helmet, a gas mask, an impact vest, a tactical bag, and a rubber or tonfa rod, the PNP regulations read.
The lack of protection in which the members of the National Police of Peru find themselves takes on special importance now that the violence increases in each protest.
Only in the last one that took place in downtown Lima, the Ombudsman’s Office reported 21 injured police officers.
The total since the start of the protests is yet to be updated, but as of Saturday, January 21, there were already 580 injured troops.
Additionally, there is the tragic case of José Luis Soncco, the 29-year-old non-commissioned officer burned alive inside his patrol car in Juliaca, Puno.
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For Remigio Hernani Meloni, a retired Police general and former Minister of the Interior during the second government of Alan García, the police lack the necessary equipment to protect the integrity of their agents, which is why they are at a disadvantage and out of date compared to the police institutions of other countries in the region.
“Currently there is any amount of highly evolved equipment, far more than current personnel have. The PNP has to buy that. The State has to provide him with this equipment and protectors to avoid bruises and so many blows that the police receive, ”explained the former head of the Mininter to Correo.
Along these lines, he described the gap in riot equipment that the Peruvian National Police has as “enormous” and asked that there be more budget for this entity.
“The president (Dina Boluarte), through the Ministry of Economy, can determine that the acquisition of this material be made. These supplies are very necessary for the police who are suffering the ravages of these senderistas”, she pointed out.
The retired general explained that there are agents who, in a personal capacity, can make “adjustments” to the protection equipment provided by the institution, but that the expense is very large considering the salaries of the agents.
“The policeman cannot buy, he has to be uniform and the institution has to provide it, it is also very onerous. In the end, some agents could make an adjustment (of the teams), but it is a huge expense compared to what they earn, ”he concluded.
DEFICIENT
Mariano González Fernández, a more current but equally pessimistic look at Police equipment, has the lawyer and, briefly, Pedro Castillo’s Minister of the Interior.
“There is a very serious problem in the entire National Police of Peru and not only with those who are going to (liberate) the roads: the equipment is deficient,” he told Correo.
Under this premise, González Fernández questioned that the government demands results from the PNP when it does not provide it with adequate equipment and considered that it is the management of Dina Boluarte that should “solve the problem politically and not use the public force, which is the last rate”.
To illustrate the problem of equipment, former Minister González announced that equipment so necessary to protect the police, such as helmets and shields, do not meet the minimum security standards.
“Most of the police officers don’t have proper helmets, many of them don’t have visors. Obviously, any artifact that is thrown can hit the face. The few shields that exist are dilapidated, old at best. At worst they are small that do not have the proper size. Remember that most of the attacks on the PNP were from the lower part because the shields did not cover the entire body, ”he explained.
Another problem that González pointed out is that of tear gas bombs. He pointed out that all riot officers should have at least two for their use “in any eventuality.”
“There is also an urgent issue of equipment renewal. What is there is old or obsolete and so you cannot ask the PNP for results, ”he said.
CLAIM
Another complaint that González Fernández made to Correo is that the government of Dina Boluarte continues without paying the bonus for a state of emergency that corresponds to the PNP. This lack of payment began at the end of the Pedro Castillo holiday.
“It is now 4 months that the Government has not paid the bond for a state of emergency to the police. This month marks 5 months and oh, surprise, the payment they are making does not include the bonus and once again they are failing the police,” he asserted.
He explained that the bonus announced by Prime Minister Alberto Otárola for the police is not new, but that it is already approved and budgeted.
“Due to the laziness of the authorities, the bonus (to the police) is not being paid and an express request must be made to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to release the funds,” he claimed.
