From barefoot policeman to policeman as president: An overview of the institutional development of the Colombian Police Force

From barefoot policeman to policeman as president: an overview of the institutional development of the Colombian police force

Constitutional reforms in Colombia were crucial in transforming its national police force from an irrelevant corps into a noteworthy public institution. This major transformation has been achieved in a country threatened by extraordinarily strong criminal organisations, such as drug cartels and guerrilla and paramilitary groups. This transformation has been unusual in Latin America where police forces generally do not enjoy prestige or trust from the public. Despite the dependency of the Colombian police on other agencies and political actors prior to the last two constitutional reforms – the National Front of 1958 and the Constitution of 1991 – it has gone through an unprecedented evolution from the 1990s in terms of image, expenditure, manpower, training, and professionalisation. The lack of institutional controls, the process of centralisation, and the attempts at militarisation provided the base for the definite consolidation of the police as a strong organisation in the institutional landscape. This chapter shows how a police force in the Global South can have a positive and significant evolution despite being surrounded by various threats such as violence, corruption, organised crime, and illegal armed groups.