Peruvian President dismisses top police in corruption purge

Peru's president Ollanta Humala has sacked 30 of the country's top police generals for corruption, in a major offensive in a war on corruption he announced in July.

The purge has forced two-thirds of the country's top police officers into retirement, including the director. His replacement Raúl Salazar has sworn to “banish any act of corruption that stains the name of the police” and continue the crackdown in the force.

Humala, a former military man, came to power in July partly because of his strong anti-corruption message. This resonated in a country which had grown used to years of massive embezzlement by the ruling elites; with approval ratings of 65 per cent, his campaign appears to have widespread public support.

In early October this message was echoed at an International Anti-Corruption Conference was held in Lima, at which the president of Congress declared that the government had the will to launch an all-out war against graft.

Critics of the government have warned that the police purge may be more complex than it seems, however. Some have accused Humala of cleaning out old officers and replacing them with his own favoured candidates in a bid to increase his influence over the police force. The promotion of dozens of army officers has also led to allegations that the president is looking to politicise the security services rather than root out corruption.

Despite concerns among the opposition and intelligentsia, many ordinary Peruvians are likely to support Humala's war on corruption. During the election campaign against Keiko Fujimori, daughter of ex-President Alberto Fujimori, he repeatedly promised more equitable division of Peru's resources and an end to the nepotism which has afflicted the country for decades.

In many polls the police has been viewed as the most corrupt institution in the country. It is likely that the population will support his efforts to eliminate corruption despite concerns over the political motivations behind the purge. Truly effective anti-corruption efforts, however, will require root-and-branch reform – not simply retiring the men at the top.

Sources: BBC, Guardian, Wall Street Journal