Peru appoints new police chief following wave of transport worker murders in Lima
Keiko Fujimori appointed Fredy López as new police director following his predecessor's resignation, amid 11 murders of drivers since August.
New police chief in Peru as attacks on transport workers increase
Keiko Fujimori appointed Fredy López, 60, as the new director general of Peru's National Police on Wednesday, according to independentespanol.com. The appointment came following the resignation of his predecessor, Oscar Arriola, who stepped down under pressure from political opposition demanding his removal over the failure to stop attacks against transport workers in Lima.
López took office in a ceremony attended by Fujimori and officials from the United States embassy. The new police chief stated that combating crime requires "technology and intelligence" and that it is not possible to respond "to today's challenges with yesterday's tools". He also announced an "incisive fight" against internal corruption: officers who commit crimes will be pursued and arrested.
López graduated with a thesis proposing intensified specialist training for undercover agents to combat organised crime. Fujimori publicly granted him "full political and economic support".
Arriola had announced his departure last week at a conference alongside Prime Minister Luis Galarreta and Interior Minister César Astudillo, who thanked him for his services.
The opposition held Arriola responsible for the failure of the "Escudo" (Shield) plan, launched on 8 August to protect public transport drivers. Since that date, 36 armed attacks, 11 murders and 30 injuries have been recorded, according to reports from the local press.
At the end of August, Fujimori's government declared a 60-day state of exception in Lima and the port of Callao in response to a widespread increase in criminality. Last week, during a visit by United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Fujimori also announced Peru's incorporation into the Shield of the Americas, an initiative to combat transnational crime.
Fujimori assumed the presidency in July with a promise to restore order in a country of 33 million inhabitants where insecurity has become the principal citizen concern. Extortion complaints rose from 2,421 in 2019 to 26,734 in 2025, according to official figures.
Source: Google News PE — Crime