Virtually Nil Police Investigation, Admits Honduran President

Tegucigalpa, Nov 26. -Honduran President Porfirio Lobo admitted that police investigation is virtually nil in the country, as police is target of criticism for its links with drug trafficking and the slow pace in solving homicide cases."There is virtually zero police investigation, we have no investigative capacity," admitted Lobo during a meeting with local media editors, according to the elheraldo.hn website.

According to Lobo, he could never imagine the problem existing in the Police, involved in unprecedented scandal for alleged links with organized crime, judging from investigations carried out by police authorities.

According to elheraldo.hn website, issues of national interest, including police corruption, respect for human rights and crimes against journalists, were discussed during the meeting at the presidential house

"There are plenty of differences on how the police purge must be conducted", said Lobo, arguing that those issues were not simple at all.

Referring to the killing of journalists, Lobo said those crimes remained unpunished, but he gave no explanation about it.

Regarding Operation Relampago (Lightning), started early this month, Lobo termed dangerous the hostile attitude between police and army forces in the streets.

These forces have been deployed in the most conflict-torn areas to try curb the lack of safety in this country that has a homicide rate of 82 per every 100,000 inhabitants.

The rector of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, Julieta Castellanos, insisted on purging the police forces in the wake of evidence linking high ranking police officers with drug trafficking.

Honduras' National Human Right Commissioner, Ramon Custodio, said recently that police forces have license to kill, steal and extort money from the people. (Prensa Latina)