Lima mayor announces plans for a municipal police force

Lima Mayor Renzo Reggiardo is continuing to push for a municipal police force, despite criticism that such a body could be unconstitutional. He said the proposal has already been presented to the Executive and discussed with the president of the Council of Ministers and the president of Peru.

Reggiardo said the proposed force could take on selected duties linked to traffic, public safety and minor offenses. That, he argued, would allow the National Police of Peru to concentrate on more serious crimes and other citizen-security work.

The mayor also sought to separate his proposal from a recent firearms authorization granted to the Municipal Company for Strategic Projects Support, known as EMAPE. He said the authorization does not create a municipal police force.

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This is not a municipal police force.

The permit, issued by Sucamec, allows authorized EMAPE personnel to carry firearms while protecting the company’s own facilities and property. Reggiardo said the measure applies only to the municipal company, which is organized as a corporation, and remains subject to Sucamec’s procedures and oversight.

“ This is not a municipal police force,” Reggiardo emphasized. He said the EMAPE authorization concerns armed security at company sites, while his proposal would create a separate body with responsibilities involving traffic, security and minor offenses. He accused critics of presenting the two initiatives as a single measure and said he would continue pressing the Executive to evaluate the plan, without giving it “a truce.”

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a truce