National Police of Ecuador

Police at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport.

The National Police of Ecuador (Spanish: Policía Nacional del Ecuador) is the national police force and the main civil law enforcement agency of Ecuador.

Controversies

Human rights

The United States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices has consistently identified major human rights abuses by Ecuadorian security forces, including: isolated unlawful killings and use of excessive force by security forces, sometimes with impunity; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; corruption and other abuses by security forces; a high number of pretrial detainees; and corruption and denial of due process within the judicial system.^[1] Members of the National Police have been accused of murder, attempted murder, rape, extortion, kidnappings, and alien smuggling.^[2]

Cablegate

In a 2009 diplomatic cable from the United States diplomatic cables leak released by WikiLeaks and published by El País in April 2011, U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges said that "corruption among Ecuadorian National Police officers is widespread and well-known" and that "U.S. investors are reluctant to risk their resources in Ecuador knowing that they could be targeted by corrupt law enforcement officials."^[3][4] The leaked cable resulted in a major diplomatic spat, resulting in the expulsion of U.S. Ambassador Hodges from Ecuador and the reciprocal expulsion of Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Gallegos from the U.S.^[5][6]

References

1. ^ 2010 Human Rights Report: Ecuador, United States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
2. ^ 2006 Human Rights Report on Ecuador, United States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
3. ^ Aznárez, Juan Jesús (4 April 2011). "La corrupción policial en Ecuador es generalizada [Police corruption in Ecuador is widespread]" (in Spanish). El País. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/corrupcion/policial/Ecuador/generalizada/elpepuint/20110404elpepuint_12/Tes. 
4. ^ "09QUITO572 Cable sobre la corrupción [Cable on corruption]". El País. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Cable/corrupcion/elpepuint/20110404elpepuint_16/Tes. 
5. ^ Gollust, David (7 April 2011). "US Expels Ecuadorian Envoy in WikiLeaks Affair". Voice of America. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/americas/US-Expels-Ecuadorian-Envoy-in-WikiLeaks--Affair--119435409.html. 
6. ^ Lee, Matthew (7 April 2011). "US expels Ecuadorean ambassador". Associated Press. San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?type=politics&f=/n/a/2011/04/07/national/w075933D82.DTL. 

External links

• Official website