Bolivia
| Author | George Kurian |
| Pages | 221-224 |
Page 221
Official country name: Republic of Bolivia
Capital: La Paz
Geographic description: A landlocked country, fifth in size in South America
Population: 8,857,870 (est. 2005)
Bolivia has one of the most centralized law enforcement agencies in Latin America. Its constitution defines law enforcement as one of the functions of the central government. Police organization and functions were first spelled out in an 1886 law, which remained unchanged until 1950 when it was substantially revised in the Organic Law of Police and Carabineros, also known as Law No. 311. Together with the law of 1886, it provides the legal basis for the present-day police system.
Until the Revolution of 1952, the Police Corps was subordinate to the regular armed forces and the most senior police posts were given to army officers. The situation changed radically in 1952 with the rise to power of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR; National Revolutionary Movement). The Corps sided with the MNR and was rewarded with greater autonomy. During this time, it also received technical assistance from the United States.
Under the constitution, the president of the republic is the commander in chief of the National Police Force of Bolivia (PNB), the National Corps of Carabineros (rural police force), and other police units. In this capacity, he names the director general of the PNB and other key officials. During times of internal unrest, the president may take over the direct control of the police. In times of war the uniformed carabinero units may be transferred to the Ministry of National Defense and their operations integrated with those of the armed forces.
Administrative jurisdiction over the police is vested in the Ministry of the Interior. Operational control rests with the director general, who may hold the rank of a colonel if he is a career police officer. The director general is also the commandant of the National Police Academy, the head of the National Identification Service, and liaison with the Interpol. The Interpol connection is significant because Bolivia is one of the chief producers of coca leaves from which cocaine is made. The office of the director general consists of a command group and twelve numbered staff sections.
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Under the Office of the Director General in La Paz, field elements are stationed in all areas of the country where they function outside the control of departmental, municipal, or provincial governments. Subordinate headquarters, known as brigades, are established in each of the nine departments. Each brigade is divided into two commands, one urban and the other provincial. The urban command, at the departmental capital, has charge of the police stations and local jails, and is divided into sections with assigned personnel to patrol and carry out criminal investigations.
Most corps personnel and units within a department, regardless of their size, composition, mission, or station, are considered part of the brigade in the area they serve and are members of a single departmental unit. An exception is the city of La Paz, where two separate regiments of the police are kept under the direct control of the director general and the president. Other exceptions are made...
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