'Corrupt' Argentine police purged

by Daniel Schweimler
The authorities in Argentina have purged one of the country's major police forces of more than 100 officers in a bid to clean up its image.

The Buenos Aires provincial police force is Argentina's largest and probably has the poorest reputation.

The officers are accused of a number of crimes, but corruption and working with criminal gangs are the most prevalent.

Previous operations have focused on ordinary policemen and policewomen but this one struck at 119 senior officers.

There have been purges of the Buenos Aires police force before but nothing quite like this.

More than 70 officers have been told that they must retire. Another 40 are being investigated.

While some have simply been told they are not doing their jobs properly, others are accused of working with criminal gangs.

Mistrusted

The authorities have said they are trying to put an end to a generation of self-styled chieftains within the Buenos Aires police force.

Some senior officers who had risen through the ranks have already been replaced by people with a more scientific background, in an attempt to modernise the force.

The Buenos Aires police force has a poor reputation and is generally mistrusted by the population.

A critically-acclaimed film, El Bonaerense by the Argentine director Pablo Trapero, highlighted the widespread corruption to an international audience.

This purge will go some way to improving the Buenos Aires force's image and building trust among a sceptical Argentine public - but there is still a long way to go.