Peru: Francisco Sagasti dismissed the police leadership …

A week after assuming, ehe new president, Francisco Sagasti, has dismissed the leadership of the police. Monday evening, in a five-minute televised message, he announced the change of police director and the retirement of eighteen senior officers – three lieutenant generals and fifteen generals – who held the most senior positions in the police. In this way, the government changes the entire command of the police. These changes They are a response to the brutal police crackdown on protests against the parliamentary coup on October 9, which sacked former President Martín Vizcarra and put the ephemeral Manuel Merino in power. Sagasti has been critical of the crackdown and, although it was ordered by the previous Merino government, he apologized “on behalf of the state” and reiterated his commitment to investigate and punish those responsible. The change in police leadership is a first step in this direction. He also announced the formation of a commission for police reform.

Sagasti underlined by saying that he is making these changes in the use of the powers that the law confers on him as “supreme chief of the armed forces and the national police”. Announcing the dismissal of senior police officials, he expressed his “deep regret for the events that occurred during the citizen mobilizations, during which two young people lost their lives, other citizens were injured, some seriously, and ‘others were touched by their dignity while in detention ”.

As the new director of police, General César Cervantes, who was number nineteen in the police ladder, was appointed. The eighteen who were above him were retired. It was an earthquake at the police headquarters. The appointment of Cervantes, 57, is explained because he was oblivious to the police repression and he was not involved in various corruption complaints that exist against senior police officers. He had worked as a police attaché in Spain.

The three lieutenant generals – the highest ranking in the police force – who were retired sent letters to President Sagasti questioning the legality of the government’s decision. to dismiss the leadership of the police and to appoint General Cervantes as director of the police, being the nineteenth in the command line. However, different sectors supported the legality of this government decision.

Interior Minister Rubén Vargas stressed that the police changes ordered by the president are “absolutely constitutional, they fall within his powers”. Vargas called the dismissal of the police leadership “fundamental” and “very good for the institution”. “This will allow us to return to the objectives of the police of providing security and protection,” he said.

Police crackdown on massive protests rejecting Congress’ decision to fire Vizcarra to replace him with Merino, then head of parliament, left two young people dead and more than two hundred injured. Police fired at demonstrators with shotguns loaded with metal pellets – banned in protests – which also used glass marbles as projectiles, and fired tear gas directly at the bodies of the mostly young protesters . The detainees said they had been ill-treated.

An internal investigation was opened at the Ministry of the Interior to identify those responsible for this repression. The renewal of the police leadership aims to give greater credibility to this investigation. At the same time, the public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation procedure for homicide, injuries, abuse of power and other crimes against former President Manuel Merino, who was his Prime Minister, Antero Flores Aráoz, and his Minister of the Interior. , Police General Gastón Rodríguez, three police generals in charge of repressive operations, who are among those who were retired, and “those who are responsible”. Congress called for the creation of a commission to investigate these events.

Relatives of the two young men killed by the police who demand punishment from the perpetrators denounced that they were harassed by elements of the police. The harassment also revealed people injured during protests and detainees who said they had been mistreated by police. In response to these complaints, President Sagasti announced that “in order to put the police in touch with the public”, he arranged “to strengthen the system of protection of the families of the victims and of the members of the brigade who supported the victims. public mobilizations “. and noted that this would be done “in coordination with human rights organizations”. “We want to give peace to loved ones,” he said.

The new government’s decisions on policing went beyond changing the entire leadership. Sagasti announced that the police were withdrawing the management of his funds to make purchases. He noted that this decision was taken due to allegations of corruption against senior police officials during purchases during the pandemic of protective items for police personnel, like masks, gloves and alcohol gel, which were overrated and in many cases unnecessary.

“I regret that, during the pandemic, serious irregularities were committed in the administration of the resources of the National Police of Peru, this would have caused the death of members of this institution who were on the front line of the fight against covid -19 “Said Sagasti. During the pandemic, around 400 police officers died from covid 19 and around 24,000 were infected.

With this decision adopted by the government, henceforth civilian officials will be appointed to manage police funds and manage purchases made by the institution. The Minister of the Interior stressed that this measure “will give us better guarantees so that public funds are spent more efficiently”.

A “Bases Commission” will be formed which in sixty days will have to recommend actions for a reform of the police. The objective is “to modernize and strengthen the national police for the defense of citizens ‘rights, internal order and citizens’ security,” said the president. The Minister of the Interior will head this commission, in which it has been announced that civil society and the police will participate.

These measures shook the police, who were called into question for their performance in cracking down on demonstrations against the parliamentary coup. President Sagasti said that from now on, the police must “renew their commitment to ensure the safety and protection of Peruvians”. “This will be the surest way to reconcile and restore the confidence of citizens in their police,” said the provisional president, who will only rule for eight months, until he takes office as elected government during the elections. April elections.