GUATEMALA CITY (AP):
GUATEMALA'S POLICE force is investigating 15 per cent of its officers for alleged abuse and corruption, the interior minister said yesterday.
About 3,000 of the 19,000 members on the force are under investigation for accusations ranging from demanding bribes to theft, Guatemalan Interior Minister Carlos Vielman told The Associated Press in an interview.
"We believe of those who have been denounced, there will be 1,500 who could be fired," Vielman said.
The current administration already expelled at least 1,000 officers for alleged corruption. In 2003, authorities discovered officers were involved in kidnapping and running a brothel.
Guatemala has seen soaring violent crime rates, due largely to the country's drug and youth gangs, as well as corruption within the police force.
Vielman's deputy secretary, Julio Godoy, said current employees on the force are being recruited by former police officers who have been fired for corruption.
