Law enforcement in Peru
Appearance
The national police force in Peru is called Policía Nacional del Perú or PNP. They are the state police force, but serve many of the same roles in the cities that local police forces assume in other countries, such as traffic control at intersections. Peruvian cities (or Lima-area districts) each have their own Serenazgo forces, which perform patrol duties like a neighborhood watch and call upon the PNP as needed.
Historic Civil Guards now abolished
- Civil Guard (Peru), formed as main preventive police force of Peru in 1924, later became General Police which in 1988 merged into new National Police
Historical secret police organizations
- Seguridad del Estado (State Security)
- DIRCOTE (Anti-Terrorism Directorate)