The National Civil Police (PNC) faces a deficit of weapons to equip the new agents who will graduate next August, according to the Minister of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda, who explained that the institution is promoting various processes for the acquisition of equipment and vehicles to strengthen its operational capabilities.
According to the official, some 3,200 agents will complete their training in the coming weeks, but there is currently a lack of 150 weapons to provide them with the necessary equipment for service.
At the same time, Villeda said that the Ministry of the Interior (Mingob) is holding talks with foreign companies to acquire 2,500 firearms for the PNC. He indicated that the process is still in the analysis phase, while it is determined which supplier will be selected.
“We are in talks to acquire a new batch of drones that will help us in police surveillance issues, and we are on the way to implementing that one hundred percent of the PNC wear an armored vest when they go out into the field,” said the minister.
Vehicles and motorcycles
In addition to the individual equipment of the agents, the Interior portfolio plans to expand the police fleet.
According to Villeda, the Government plans to buy a thousand radio patrols to strengthen the police presence in different parts of the country. Added to this is the expectation of receiving a donation of 250 motorcycles from Taiwan.
At the same time, the Mingob is promoting another process to acquire an additional thousand motorcycles, with the aim of expanding the response capacity of police units.
The authorities did not detail the delivery times or the amount of the purchases in progress.
Technology for surveillance and anti-drug operations
Among the projects under evaluation is also the purchase of new drones for police surveillance and monitoring tasks.
Villeda pointed out that the ministry is analyzing the acquisition of long-range weapons and night sensors that allow flights to be carried out at night in operations against structures linked to drug trafficking.
According to the official, these teams seek to strengthen the operational capabilities of security forces in areas where there are currently technological limitations for surveillance and detection of illicit activities.
The authorities also did not specify the expected costs for these acquisitions or the specific stage of the purchasing processes.
Pending to be finalized
Although the Ministry of the Interior announced several acquisitions and modernization projects for the PNC, some of the processes are still in the preliminary phases of analysis or negotiation.
While the purchases are made, the institution must resolve the lack of weapons for the agents who will join the service after their graduation next August.
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