Police Reform

The National Defense and Security Council ordered the permanent closure of DIPAMPCO, Honduras's anti-gang police directorate, after an internal review found alleged administrative and criminal irregularities — including an unauthorized raid linked to the deaths of five officers — with functions to be transferred to the DPI.

Security Minister Gerzon Velásquez confirmed the creation of the National Agency to Combat Crime (ANC), which will combine the National Police, military police, prosecutors, and intelligence services to target high-violence areas under a Honduras-specific security model distinct from El Salvador's approach.

Amid rising violence, a former police-vetting commissioner and Security Secretary Gerzon Velásquez are calling for rigorous evaluation of police, prosecutors, and judges to root out criminal ties and effectively combat crime in Honduras.

The National Defense and Security Council approved the permanent closure of Dipampco after an oversight commission found protocol violations, illegal raids, negligence, and possible cover-up in a mission where five officers died, and authorities plan to replace it with a new specialized criminal-investigation unit.

Following an unauthorized operation in Corinto, Cortés, that killed five officers, Honduras dissolved the Dipamco anti-gang police unit and fired its top commanders, who now face disciplinary and criminal proceedings.

The Asfura government dissolved the Dipampco police anti-gang unit and created a new Anti-Extortion Division led by Commissioner Jorge Daniel Molina Gálvez, who faces two prior prosecutorial charges for illegal detention and abuse of authority, drawing concern from human-rights groups.

At least 187 former members of the disbanded Dipampco anti-gang unit have been referred to Human Resources and may face dismissal if an internal investigation finds they committed crimes, authorities say.