The National Civil Police (, PNC) is the police force of

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

and is an agency of the Guatemalan Ministry of the Interior. The PNC is in charge of protecting public order.

History

Upon the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996, the Policía Nacional Civil (PNC) was founded on the 17th of July in 1997 by merging the former National Police and Treasury Guard. Immediately, the force was expanded across all departments of Guatemala, and by August 1999 (just two years later), the PNC managed to cover all 22 departments. Currently, six district headquarters, twenty-seven police stations, one hundred and twenty-seven stations, and 343 substations have been deployed across Guatemala. Eight mobile units may also be deployed in

Guatemala City Guatemala City (, also known colloquially by the nickname Guate), is the Capital city, national capital and largest city of the Guatemala, Republic of Guatemala. It is also the Municipalities of Guatemala, municipal capital of the Guatemala Depa ...

to violent areas to control crime. The PNC training was coordinated by the

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(EU), which developed the "Program of Support for the National Security Policy" through the

Spanish Civil Guard The Civil Guard (; ) is one of the two national law enforcement agencies of Spain. As a national gendarmerie, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the authority of both the Ministry of the Interior and the Minis ...

(GCE) in 1997. In terms of criminal investigation, the PNC received support from ICITAP (International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program of the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...

), and instruction and training in human rights were in charge of the strengthening program of the MINUGUA PNC. In 2006, a police force called GPC (Civil Protection Guard) was created, the function of which was to protect citizens and ensure public order in areas of high criminal risk. It serves as support to the National Civil Police in those tasks. In response to pressure from the Mexican government in 2019, the PNC has been called upon to stymy the progression of

Central American migrant caravans Central American migrant caravans, also known as the ("Migrant's Way of the Cross"), are migrant caravans that travel from Central America to the Mexico–United States border to demand asylum in the United States. The largest and best known of ...

approaching the Mexico to the North before they can reach the border. The PNC also has played an important part around election season ensuring fair and safe democratic experiences for Guatemalan voters across the country. Between June and July 2019, DISETUR and DIPRONA members underwent trainings in basic trauma management with LFR International.

Divisions

Presidente particpa en acto de entrega de uniformes y motocicletas a PNC 20230606

Technical Secretariat (STO) * Division of Joint Operations (DOC) * Market Police Division (POLIMERC) * Division of Special Police Forces (DIFEP) * Division of Personnel Protection and Security (DPPS) * Division of Supervision and Control of Private Security Companies (DSCESP) * Tourism Security Division (DISETUR) * Division of Protection of Nature (DIPRONA) * Division of Ports, Airports and Border Posts (DIPAFRONT) (In the process of dissolution) * Motorized Division (DM)

Armament

Ranks

The rank structure of the police is as follows.

References

{{reflist

External links