10% of National
Police Force Over 55
At least 10% of the
officers of country's
national police force,
the Fuerza Pública, are
over the age of 50,
including 13 officials
over the age of seventy
- one official aged 75.
What the numbers mean is
that one of the ten
officials of the Fuerza
Pública is a "viejito"
(elder).
Erick Lacayo, director
of the national police
force, says that they
cannot discriminate
against age, as the
officials are under the
same pension regimen as
all other public
officials, even though
the working conditions
are entirely different.
Lacayo added that the
majority of the older
officials are used in
administrative functions
like attending radio
rooms, answering
telephones and other
fixed administrative
positions not requiring
them to be on the
streets.
But that is not always
the case. Especially in
rural areas where scarce
financial resources and
personnel required the "viejitos"
to take to regular
patrols.
Critics say that older
police officials are a
risk. Eduardo Jiménez, a
promoter of health,
assurs that a person
over then age of 55
loses 20% of his
muscular force, cannot
run more than 10
minutes, in contrast to
an hour for an officer
under the age of 30, is
overweight and his
reaction skills are
reduced.
Lacayo, faced with the
question of how the
public interprets the
older police force in
terms of security, says
that there is a need for
a law that allows the
older police officials
to retire with a pension
earlier and not be
grouped in with the
pensioning of other
public officials.
According to the
Ministerio de Seguridad,
1.00 officers are 55
years of age and over.
The numbers are broken
down as such:
Age 75 - 1
Age 74 - 3
Age 73 - 3
Age 71 - 3
Age 70 - 2
Age 69 - 6
Age 68 - 10
Age 67 - 5
Age 66 - 15
Age 65 - 21
Age 64 - 48
Age 63 - 56
Age 62 - 69
Age 61 - 77
Age 60 - 101
Age 59 - 104
Age 58 - 107
Age 57 - 122
Age 56 - 149
Age 55 - 100 |
