LatinNews Daily - 05 March 2018

Guatemala: Guatemala’s interior minister, Enrique Degenhart, has completed the line-up of new appointments to the national police (PNC) following his dismissal last week of PNC chief, Nery Ramos, and two others (with a third, Rony Espinoza transferred from his previous post of general deputy director of operations). On 3 March Dagenhart named Espinoza as PNC deputy general director, replacing Edwin Mayén; and Carlos Roberto Tohom Escobar as Espinoza’s replacement. This followed Degenhart’s appointment on 27 February of Erwin Rolando Tzi Juárez, the head of the immigration police (Dipafront), as Ramos’s replacement and Nery Neftalí Benito Hernández to replace the deputy PNC director of criminal investigations, Stu Velasco. The changes, which the interior ministry has justified on the grounds that it was necessary to “oxygenate” the PNC have provoked concerns among civil-society sectors given Ramos had claimed progress over improving public security. Examples include a reduction in the homicide rate from 27.3 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2016 to 26.1 per 100,000 in 2017.

End of preview - This article contains approximately 167 words.

Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article

Not a Subscriber?

Choose from one of the following options

• Subscribe
• Sign up for a one-time, 14-day trial