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Inauguration of the Criminal Analysis Department and the Criminal Investigation Sub-Directorate in Guatemala

Guatemala, March 24, 2021. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Central America and the Caribbean (UNODC ROPAN), through its office in Guatemala, together with the Ministry of Interior, the National Civil Police and the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Guatemala, inaugurated the facilities of the Department of Violence against Women, the Department of Criminal Analysis and Statistics of the Specialized Division of Criminal Investigation and the Archive Department of the Sub-Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the National Civil Police. In addition, specialized equipment for digital analysis and forensic video was delivered.

UNODC, in the framework of the Project "Expanding access to justice for women, children and indigenous peoples", funded by the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), strengthened the capacities of the staff of the Department of Criminal Analysis and Statistics of the Specialized Criminal Investigation Division of the National Civil Police and provided technical support in strengthening interagency coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office, from July 2017 to 2020.

Within these actions, technical tools such as specific criminal investigation protocols, investigation methodologies and specialized curricula in criminal investigation for Violence against Women and Femicide, Childhood, Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants and Forensic Video were developed. In addition to more than one thousand hours of training, permanent specialized technical assistance was provided, generating diagnoses, analysis of processes and flows, making proposals for models, internal regulations and accompanying their implementation.

These actions were carried out through technical and high-level roundtables, formed by the best officials of the research bodies, with the support of UNODC staff, gathering the best institutional practices, in a participatory and joint manner, models and curricula were built and implemented.

The 502 square meters that were inaugurated were built with labor financed by the National Civil Police. UNODC facilitated the architectural design, donated all the construction material, structured cabling and electrical material for 5 areas, supervised the construction and refurbishment of the 3 departments; as well as the equipment, the provision of specialized equipment and software.

During the inauguration ceremony, Carlos Enrique Franco, Vice Minister of Security of the Ministry of Government, assured that these spaces not only dignify the work of the agents, but also contribute to the reduction of crime rates against women, improve criminal investigation and safeguard important documents for the investigation process.

The Director of the National Civil Police, José Antonio Tzubán Gómez, said that "it is no secret that, within the institutions, human talent is the most important, so in the National Civil Police efforts have been made to have a decent space to perform the tasks scheduled in the best way, and therefore, today we thank the UNODC for the three offices that are being inaugurated thanks to their support and efforts".

Rebeca Arias, Coordinator of UN Guatemala and Co-Chair of the PBF Executive Committee said: "An ambitious and innovative project that, through the incorporation of a human rights perspective, promotes access to justice and the reduction of impunity in crimes against women, children and indigenous peoples".

Nery Benito, Deputy Director General of Criminal Investigation of the National Civil Police said that "UNODC has been an important strategic partner for the progress and development of this Sub-Directorate of Criminal Investigation, generating doctrine, knowledge and equipment of the highest quality, strengthening the areas of criminal investigation and analysis. This inauguration marks a fundamental step to ensure the rights of Guatemalan women and children".

UNODC contributes to increase the capacities of security and justice institutions with the adaptation of facilities, training of personnel, donation of furniture and technological equipment for criminal investigation, which contributes significantly to achieving SDG 5 Gender Equality and SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and in general, the Sustainable Development agenda, leaving no one behind.