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Peru Technical Police
The police reorganization of 1988 creating the
Technical
Police (PT) gave it the same functions as its predecessor,
the
Investigative Police of Peru. The PT served as Peru's
intelligence service for state security, as well as an
investigative unit in criminal and terrorist cases, much
like the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United
States. A
special section, the National Counterterrorism Division
(Dirección Nacional Contra el Terrorismo--Dincote,
formerly known
as Dircote) focused mainly on the SL and MRTA.
Headquartered in
Lima's Rímac district, the largely plainclothes PT also
operated
out of the same main regional offices as the military and
the PG,
or on special assignment from the Lima office. As of 1986,
the PT
had a total staff of 13,165, including a few women agents,
and
was fully autonomous from the former Civil Guard (GC).
The effects of the police reorganization on PT training
were
not clear by 1990, but the PT's distinctive
responsibilities
probably assured continuity rather than change. Despite
suffering
from the same restrictions and limitations imposed by the
economic crisis and the insurgency, the PT showed fewer
signs of
trouble than its sister services. The PT's Instruction
Center was
based in the San Isidro district of Lima and offered both
a full
four-year course for prospective officers in its Cadet
School, as
well as specialized training in police technology and
criminology
in its Detective School. Successful completion of
mid-career
courses was a requirement for eligibility for continued
advancement in the service.
In September 1992, Dincote succeeded in capturing SL
head
Guzmán. This gave the government and the police forces a
badly
needed major victory against the Shining Path at a
critical
juncture and greatly enhanced the standing of the
country's
beleaguered police forces.
Data as of September 1992
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