Woman to Change
Guatemalan Police
GUATEMALA - The
appointment of a woman
as chief of the National
Civil Police (PNC), in
addition to being
unprecedented in
Guatemala, augurs a
process of change in
that institution,
tainted by corruption,
ineffectiveness and lack
of credibility.
Marlene Blanco Lapola,
who is 42 and has 22
years' experience, has
held several posts in
the PNC, including being
a member of the
Anti-Abduction Commando,
founder of the Office of
Attention to Victims and
deputy director of the
Crime Prevention Unit.
"The foundation of my
work will be to make
citizens trust the
institution again," said
Blanco Lapola after
being sworn in by
Guatemalan President
Alvaro Colom.
The PNC was created in
1997, after the peace
agreements were signed,
to replace the
much-feared National
Police, which was
responsible for serious
human rights violations
during the 36-year-old
armed conflict in the
country.
Although its creation
was a major step at the
time, that institution
has been accused of
being linked to
organized crime, drug
trafficking and common
crime.
One of the worst
scandals that shook the
PNC was the involvement
of members of its
Criminal Investigation
Division in the
assassinations of three
deputies of the Central
American Parliament and
their chauffer in 2007.
The assassinations
brought to light the
influence of parallel
groups within the
institution, and forced
the previous government
to remove the interior
minister, the chief of
police and the chief of
penitentiaries. |
