The articulated security strategy is key in reducing organized crime in Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Feb. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in its history, Honduras has an articulated security strategy with strengthened, certified and equipped justice operators who wage a daily war against organized crime, specifically against drug trafficking and gangs.

"The sound progress against insecurity and narcotrafficking in Honduras is the result of decisive actions for taking thousands of criminals out of circulation," said Deputy Security Minister Luis Suazo.

Among the measures promoted by President Juan Orlando Hernández to achieve a true transformation in the security bodies are the legislative reforms, creation of elite forces, police depuration and the strengthening of security operators, which today count with equipment and technology tools for scientific and technical research, Suazo explained.

The strengthening of the justice organisms derives from the approval of several laws, mostly promoted by the Honduran president when he was head of the National Congress, such as the Law of Extradition, Law of the Military Police for Public Order, Organic Law of the Police, Law of the Police Career, Law of National Intelligence, Population Security Law, Special Law of the National Defense and Security Council and the reform to the National Penitentiary Institute.

Another cornerstone of the Hernández administration's strategy is the national-level inter-agency task force (Fuerza Nacional de Seguridad Interinstitucional -FUSINA), which brings together Armed Forces, National Police, Directorate of Investigations and Intelligence, and representatives of the Ministers of Defense and Public Security and the Supreme Court of Justice, to successfully coordinate efforts against organized crime, gangs and extortionists and to restore urban security.

The intervention of the National Police, which was infiltrated by organized crime and criminal gangs, was key to cleaning up the structure of the institution, through a purging process that had the backing of the church and civil society.

Along with ongoing efforts to root out corruption in the police force, President Hernández also promoted the creation of special forces that have become a threat to criminal gangs such as the Military Police for Public Order (PMOP), the Police Investigation Directorate (DPI), the National Directorate of Investigations and Intelligence (DNII) and the Communications Intervention Unit (UIC).

Likewise, in mid-2018, the Honduran president created the National Anti-Maras and Gangs Force (FNAMP), which has become the terror of criminal groups engaged in extortion and other crimes that threaten peace and security of the population.

As part of the setting up of elite bodies, and with the support of the United States government, personnel from the National Police and the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation (ATIC) were trained as specialists in weapons and tactics, being the first group of Swat agents in Honduras, Deputy Security Minister Luis Suazo said.

Both President Trump and the former head of U.S. Southern Command, General John Kelly, has praised Honduras for its progress in reducing violence, combatting corruption, and cooperating with the U.S. in areas such as extradition.

As part of his security strategy in the search for peace and the eradication of violence, President Hernández has also made special emphasis on strengthening criminal investigation and police intelligence and for the first time the country has police crime scientific laboratories, with state-of-the-art technology.

Official figures of Honduras against insecurity and narcotrafficking are available in this link: http://ciudadanohn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/EVOLUTION-OF-DRUG-TRAFFICKING.pdf

SOURCE Gobierno de la República de Honduras