TWENTY-TWO HONDURAN POLICE KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000354 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM SNAR PGOV EAID HO SUBJECT: TWENTY-TWO HONDURAN POLICE KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN 2009 ¶1. In just over the first four months of 2009 (through May 11),22 Honduran police officers have been killed in the line of duty, most in Northern Honduras where there is a higher incidence of narcotrafficking and organized crime. This number far exceeds the number of fallen officers in neighboring Central American countries. A main cause of this sharp increase of targeted police killings is the abundance of illegal, inexpensive and readily available firearms that are very loosely controlled. To their credit, the police force's increased effectiveness may have caused them to become the target of many criminal organizations. ¶2. Comment: President Zelaya and the Government of Honduras have shown repeatedly in the past few months that they are serious about participating in the Merida Initiative bilateral task force and addressing some of the issues at the core of Honduras' security problems. Honduras's Ministry of Security has made serious efforts to fight crime and narcotrafficking, most directly by doubling the Honduran National Police (HNP) force from 7,000 to 14,000, providing them more of the equipment they need, and putting its officers on the frontlines of this crucial fight. Unfortunately, the current police leadership has not carried out any tactical or training analyses to address the problem of murdered police, which is increasingly affecting rank and file morale. We will address this issue with the Minister of Security, as we want to maintain the GOH's full commitment in the fight against our common threats. We may want to offer a consultant who can analyze the patterns of these murders in order to suggest possible ways to address this problem. End Comment. LLORENS