 | This article needs to be updated. (October 2014) |
Law enforcement in Venezuela is highly fragmented, being split across multiple police agencies of various types.
The National Guard, with around 33,000 officers, is attached to the Ministry of Defence. The Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas, with around 8,000 officers, is the primary criminal investigation agency. The Policía Nacional Bolivariana, created in 2009, had 2,400 officers in July 2010 (with a further 1,400 in training).
In addition, each of Venezuela's 23 states has its own police force, numbering around 50,000 officers altogether. Finally, since 1989's decentralization legislation, many municipalities have set up their own police forces.[1] Both state and municipal/city police forces report to the Federal Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace through their respective state governments.
- ^ Birkbeck, Christopher (2009), "Venezuela: the shifting organizational framework for the police", Police Practice and Research, Volume 10, Issue 4 August 2009 , pp. 295-304