Control and supervision of the National Civil Police: Institutional study of the General Inspectorate of Public Safety

Abstract

The creation (October 2014) of the General Inspectorate of Public Security (IGSP) caused a series of substantial changes in the system of control, supervision and oversight of public security institutions in El Salvador. Despite the immense legal capacity to influence the quality of the police service, its training and the education of the Police, the IGSP, instead of becoming stronger, has weakened and lost prominence. This situation forces the public security authorities to allocate the budget, human resources and materials in accordance with the new requirements of the functions of the IGSP. This fact alone would reflect the existence of the political will to materialize a system of effective and efficient control and supervision, especially in current times in which the need to confront the situation of violence and insecurity can degenerate into a denaturalization of the National Civil Police.