The National Police of Ecuador ( es, Policía Nacional del Ecuador) is the national

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

and the main civil law enforcement agency of

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

. It is commanded by the Commanding General (') and subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior.

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 Impunity is avoidance of punishment, loss, or other negative consequences for an action. In the international law of human rights, impunity is failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a d ...

, poor prison conditions,

arbitrary arrest and detention Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of l ...

, corruption and other abuses by security forces, a high number of pretrial detainees, and corruption and denial of due process within the judicial system. Members of the National Police have been accused of murder, attempted murder, rape, extortion, kidnappings, and alien smuggling.

Corruption

In a 2009 diplomatic cable from the

United States diplomatic cables leak The United States diplomatic cables leak, widely known as Cablegate, began on Sunday, 28 November 2010 when WikiLeaks began releasing classified cables that had been sent to the U.S. State Department by 274 of its consulates, embassies, and d ...

released by

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...

and published by l Paísin 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." 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.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Law enforcement agencies of Ecuador

Controversies

Human rights

Corruption

See also

References

External links