Guatemala Police Permeated by Illegal Groups
Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein admitted on Monday that the presence of criminal groups within security forces is a deep-seated problem in the country.

"Guatemala has been suffering this for decades. Death squadrons worked out during the internal armed conflict," Stein said in interview for El Periodico daily.

Questioned on the police involvement in the recent assassination of Salvadorian deputies, he declared that since 2004, it has been reiterated that the opening of public and private institutionalization to organized crime is the higher jeopardy for the country.

"It does not surprise us," the vice President added, and explained that along with former Government Minister Carlos Vielmann, he visited Congress to promote the ratification of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala.

The country is living an insecurity crisis, triggered by the assassination of three Salvadorian deputies from the Central American parliament and their driver, and later execution in jail of police agents involved in the crime.