Internal Order: Defining the Support of the Armed Forces to the National Police

Abstract

After a brief description of the concepts of internal order, public order and citizen security, a distinction was made as to their scope, limits, principles and responsible entities. To this end, an exhaustive comparative analysis was made of Legislative Decree 1095, which “establishes rules for the employment and use of force by the Armed Forces in the National Territory, and Legislative Decree 1086, which “regulates the use of force by the National Police of Peru”. The importance of their compliance in the different risk scenarios by both institutions was determined, describing the gradualness and intensity of the use of force in the face of threats in the management of internal order. In this context, gaps and opportunities for improvement were identified with respect to the definition of the support provided by the Armed Forces to the Peruvian National Police (PNP) in the aforementioned management. Finally, recommendations are proposed that include the use of military capabilities to support the process of police operations, revision of regulations, capacity building, among others.