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Police Reform – 1994

UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali strenuously impressed upon the Government of El Salvador to finally phase out the National Police and institute the constitutional reforms recommended by the Commission on the Truth. Despite multiple appeals, President Cristiani and the Government remained reluctant to move on these issues.¹ The matter was scandalized when a television crew filmed a deadly armed robbery on 22 June 1994 and the Chief of the Investigative Department of the National Police was later arrested for his involvement.²

A Select Review Committee was created to investigate the issue of personnel with military backgrounds being transferred to the National Civil Police. The Government continued to delay the demobilization and reintegration of National Police personnel.³ However, some significant achievements were made in terms of deploying the new National Civil Police force. By the end of October 1994, the National Civil Police was fully deployed in all but 2 of the 14 departments in El Salvador.⁴ The National Police was redeployed on 31 December 1994.⁵

1. “Letter Dated 28 March from the Secretary-General Addressed to the President of the Security Council,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/361), March 30, 1994.
2. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/1000), August 26, 1994.
3. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/561), May 11, 1994.
4. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/1212), October 31, 1994.
5. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1995/220) March 24, 1995; “El Salvador Human Rights Practice, 1994,” U.S. Department of State Dispatch, March 1995.