Uruguayan police officer dies by suicide, tenth of 2026

A Uruguayan police officer, who had been missing since Friday, died by suicide with his service weapon near the Santa Lucía River in San Ramón, Canelones. The officer, who worked at a police impound lot and had two young children, is the tenth police official to die by suicide in 2026, according to the Police Union (Sipolna).

The Republican Guard union issued a statement demanding a special protocol for searching for missing police officers. The incident has reignited long-standing union demands for better mental health care within the police force to prevent such tragedies. Sipolna data indicates 14 police officials and one retired officer died by suicide in 2025, a figure that rose to 16 in 2024, 32 in 2023, and 21 in 2022.

In response to the growing crisis, a substitute National Party deputy and former Sipolna president, Patricia Rodríguez, introduced a bill in Parliament in July to establish a comprehensive mental health care system for Uruguayan police. The Ministry of the Interior, various unions, Police Health Services, and the Directorate of Well-being have formed a Mental Health Commission to address the issue, though organized workers' demands for better mental health support date back several years.