Five Police Officers Are Violently Killed Every Month in Haiti

On Monday, the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) published a report showing that 29 police officers died violently in the first half of 2023.

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Published on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the National Police, this report also shows that at least 58 police officers were shot and killed since June 2022.

Many of them were kidnapped by armed gangs that control a significant part of the Haitian capital and its surroundings.

Affected like all other citizens by insecurity, they have also had to confront state officials who, instead of providing them with police equipment and supplies to face the armed bandits, "have preferred to make weapons and ammunition available to these bandits who sow mourning among the population," denounces the NGO.

Haitian police stations face great difficulties in functioning: lack of transportation, shortage of supplies, dilapidated buildings, and absence of electrical supply, among other problems.

The tweet reads, "Since the end of April, Haitian citizens scalded by insecurity have taken on the delicate mission of policing themselves in the face of gang violence. This is not without risk in a State adrift where the authorities fail to restore order."

"The officers are not protected by the Judicial branch, which sometimes decides to release detained criminals, endangering the lives of the officers who participated in the operations that led to their arrest."

In the opinion of RNDDH, the police force should undergo a certification process for officers by a team that should be composed of members from an independent institution, the General Inspection of the PNH, and the National Police Academy.

The number of police officers in Haiti is gradually decreasing. Between November 2021 and June 2023, the number of police officers has decreased from 16,000 to less than 10,000.