Crossing words in the Executive: Minister of the Interior responds to Aníbal Torres for criticism of the NPP

Uncertainty over the tenure of certain ministers in the cabinet was not the only friction reported since the Executive. Following the statements of Prime Minister Aníbal Torres on the work and training of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), the Minister of the Interior said he disagreed with what was said. Alfonso Chávarry, with clear signs of disagreement, chose to highlight the work of the green agents, including highlighting the work recorded during the most recent demonstrations.

“Our Police, we must admit, do not exist enough,” said Premier Torres, referring to the low number of officers compared to the total population of our country. “I just give you one example, they have seen, by the media here and abroad, that seven policemen cannot arrest one person,” Aníbal Torres added to his comment on the PNP's performance during demonstrations driven by rising prices for various products.

In the evening, when consulted by the press, the Minister of the Interior, Alfonso Chávarry, responded without any problem to the comments of the head of the presidency of the Council of Ministers. “I don't agree with that. I don't agree. In Peru there is democracy and everyone speaks what they think and I am going to tell you that I do not agree with this position because I know the National Police in the background. It is a historic institution with great professionals and men, an institution that at a time that Peru has had saved it,” he said at the beginning of his speech.

Chávarry even called the PNP one of the best in South America “because it has a human quality, we may not have the logistics that other police officers have internationally, but we have courage, we have a heart,” he said of the institution that is remembered for its heroic deeds, but also for its questioned to act against the public.

MESSAGE TO THE PNP

Aníbal Torres' statements have made visible a possible friction between members of the Council of Ministers. Alfonso Chávarry insisted on the achievements of the NPP and called on its members to “boost morale”. “I want to say that our Police is one of the best and to you policemen, boost morale. You are good, you have great courage, you are blessed by God because your work is of service to society, of dedication. The police we have in Peru are well prepared, I certify it because I know it. I have operated with the police, I know him from the bottom, so they can't say that our police are not well prepared,” he added.

Regarding the attitude of the PNP during the protest recorded in the historic center of Lima on April 5, he described it as professional and assured that “there has been no disband”, thus avoiding “social costs”. However, Chávarry was also criticized days ago for having minimized the number of deaths during the protests recorded in Junín over the past weekend.

On several occasions, the minister stressed that these were not provoked by the PNP; therefore, the Public Prosecutor's Office has launched investigations to clarify the deaths of three citizens, including a thirteen-year-old child whose body was found in a river. “When the wave of protests took place, there were protesters who protested peacefully in and around the city, the police handled it very wisely to avoid a social cost,” were the words of the minister after the death was announced.

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