CAPACITY TRANSFER TO PNC

Guatemala, April 25, 2013. Today, as part of capacity transfer efforts, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) awarded 45 National Civil Police (PNC) officers certificates for completing training exercises on criminal investigation, security and police prevention. Ten of the forty-five officers also received letters of acknowledgment for their work at the Commission.

Mauricio López Bonilla, Minister of the Interior, and Gerson Oliva, Director of the National Civil Police, were invited to the event along with the ambassadors of donor countries.

In line with its mandate, CICIG has focused on supporting the investigation and criminal prosecution of egregious crimes where illegal security forces and clandestine security organizations were suspected to have been involved. In addition, the Commission has also paid particular attention to strengthening security and justice institutions, especially the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP), the Judiciary (OJ) and the PNC.

Commissioner Francisco Javier Dall'Anese Ruiz underlined that police officers are the image of the law in a country governed by the rule of law. In such a country, public officials are subject to legally imposed restrictions which serve the purpose of protecting its people.

"As public office-bearers, we are not powerful, abusive or uncontrollable, but rather we must create security and justice for the people, in accordance with the law. Therefore, you have a great part to play," he said.

The Commissioner explained that democracy is built when the law and the rights of the people are respected: "The gathering of proof and police investigations must be guided by the indications of evidence; criminal investigations must gather evidence, witness accounts and deduce the criminal liability of those implicated by such evidence."

Minister López Bonilla stated that capacity transfer helps further the professionalization of police officers. "We are doing our all to create a National Civil Police force which, as part of the security forces, will play a key role in [our] society. Therefore, it is imperative that the force is highly trained to conduct its activities," he said.

Furthermore, the Minister urged the officers to work in accordance with the law, with a commitment to serve others, so that society could feel protected by and proud of its police force. Furthermore, he thanked the Commission for the varied training it had imparted to the officers, which will have a positive impact on the work of the PNC and benefit Guatemalans.

Among the topics covered by the training courses were: the investigation and treatment of the crime scene; technical methods and the consultation of information sources; and surveillance, shadowing, arrest and search techniques. Other topics included the code of ethics, site security, entry and exit controls, detection and surveillance, fire prevention, evacuation planning, and personal protection techniques.