'Police Duty Training Center' Opened in Guatemala... Transferring Korean Police Security Techniques

National Police Agency and KOICA Official Development Assistance
Expectations for Strengthened Protection of Local Korean Residents and Security Cooperation

Guatemala Police Duty Training Center established with the support of the Korean National Police Agency and KOICA. [Photo by National Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] On the 16th (local time) at 10 a.m., the National Police Agency and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) held an opening ceremony for the Police Duty Training Center, built with South Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, at the Guatemala National Police Agency.

The opening ceremony was attended by high-ranking local officials, including Guatemala's Minister of the Interior Gendry Reyes and the Chief of Police, demonstrating the Guatemalan government's strong interest. South Korea was represented by Ambassador Hong Seok-hwa to Guatemala, a working delegation from the National Police Agency's Foreign Affairs Bureau, and Kang Seung-heon, head of the KOICA Guatemala office.

Since 2014, the National Police Agency and KOICA have invested $3.8 million to build the Police Duty Training Center to establish a police education system to strengthen Guatemala's public security capabilities. The center includes educational facilities such as a forensic laboratory, a virtual crime scene training room, classrooms, and conference rooms, as well as convenience facilities like a trainee cafeteria and dormitories.

In particular, the virtual crime scene training room was designed by benchmarking the Korean National Police Agency's forensic education center to provide training equivalent to that in Korea. Even amid the disruption of face-to-face exchanges due to COVID-19, the center is equipped with a video editing room and video conferencing equipment to enable remote non-face-to-face education. Additionally, domestically produced forensic equipment, such as the latest ultraviolet (UV)-LED light sources used for fingerprint development, was supplied to support optimal evidence analysis.

Not only facilities and equipment but also the transfer of Korean public security technology was actively carried out. Training was conducted in eight fields including forensic science, educational administration, and anti-corruption. Furthermore, to ensure sustainable public security policies through cooperation among the three Central American countries, three 'Korea-Central America Integration System (SICA)' public security capacity-building conferences were held.

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei expressed gratitude to the Korean government, stating, "This project will be an important opportunity to strengthen public security cooperation between Korea and Guatemala." Ambassador Hong Seok-hwa said in his congratulatory speech, "The Korea-Guatemala public security cooperation project plays a significant role in protecting our expatriates, and efforts should be made to ensure such projects continue in the future."

National Police Agency Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong, in a letter delivered to Guatemala National Police Chief Jos? Antonio Subin G?mez, said, "I hope the Police Duty Training Center will serve as a hub for police education in the Central American region and play a major role in strengthening the public security capabilities of police officers in Guatemala and neighboring countries," adding, "I hope Korea-Guatemala public security cooperation will proceed closely in many more fields."

The National Police Agency and KOICA regard the Guatemala public security capacity-building project as having achieved meaningful results in supporting the safe lives of Guatemalan citizens, protecting local expatriates, and fostering close public security diplomatic cooperation between the two countries to respond to international crime. They plan to expand cooperation in the field of public security between the two countries by discovering follow-up projects in the future.