310. According to the information forwarded by the State in this case, the Court takes
note of the advances made by the State in the process of reforming the Venezuelan
policing model. Among other matters, the Court underlines the following: (1) the 2006
establishment of the National Commission for Police Reform (CONAREPOL) in order to
make a diagnosis of the Venezuelan police forces; 395 (2) the approval, in 2008, of the
Organic Law of the Police Service and the Bolivarian National Police Force, establishing
the progressive and differentiated use of force by the police as a tool for police agents in
their interactions with the population; 396 (3) the creation, in 2009, of the Police Council,
with the functions of providing advice on and taking part in the definition, planning and
coordination of public policies on policing; 397 (4) the creation, in 2009, of the Universidad
Nacional Experimental de Seguridad, 398 with the task of training police agents in keeping
with the new Venezuela policing model, and (5) the elaboration and distribution, starting
in 2010, of a collection of self-instruction manuals called “Baquías,” [Skills Manuals]
designed to establish institutional management indicators that allow each police force,
autonomously, to evaluate the level of compliance with the reform processes. 399
311. In addition, regarding measures to ensure effective accountability, the Court notes
that the Law on the Statute of the Police Function establishes that police agents shall
respond in the disciplinary, administrative, civil and criminal sphere for wrongful acts,
offenses, errors and administrative irregularities committed in the exercise of their
functions. 400 In addition, this law establishes the Office to Control Police Actions, the
Office to Respond to Police Irregularities, and the Police Disciplinary Council as internal
control bodies for the police, 401 and encourages the creation of citizen committees to
oversee the police, community councils and any other organization of a community
nature duly structured as a body for the external oversight of the police. 402
eleventh operative paragraph; (3) in the case of the Barrios Family, the Court ordered the Venezuelan State to
organize training courses on human rights for members of the police force of the state of Aragua. Cf. Case of
the Barrios Family, supra, para. 341, and (4) in the case of Uzcátegui the Court did not find it necessary to
order a guarantee of non-repetition, in view of the efforts made by the State to enhance the institutional
capacity of security agents, in keeping with the principles and norms for the protection of human rights. Cf.
Case of Uzcátegui et al., supra, para. 265. In addition, the Court has issues the following Orders on monitoring
compliance with judgment: Case of El Caracazo v. Venezuela. Monitoring compliance with judgment. Order of
the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of July 6, 2009, declaratory paragraph 2.d), and Case of Montero
Aranguren et al. (Retén de Catia) v. Venezuela. Monitoring compliance with judgment. Order of the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights, August 30, 2011, declaratory paragraph 2.e). In the Case of the Barrios
Family, the Court has not yet issued an order on monitoring compliance with the measures that the State was
ordered to take in the judgment in this case.
395
Cf. National Commission for Police Reform created on April 10, 2006 (file of helpful evidence, folio
13982).
396
Cf. Decree No 5,895, with the rank, value and force of Organic Law of the Police Service and the
Bolivarian National Police Force (file of helpful evidence, folio 10914).
397
Cf. Creation of the Police Council (file of helpful evidence, folio 13943).
398
Cf. Creation of the Universidad Nacional Experimental de Seguridad (file of helpful evidence, folio
13943).
399
Cf. Baquías 1 to 10 (file of helpful evidence, folios 11434, 11510, 11682, 11758, 11834, 11934, 12058,
12134, 12210 and 12286, respectively); Baquías 12, 14 to 16 and 19 (file of helpful evidence, folios 12362,
12438, 12514, 12580 and 12704, respectively).
400
Article 11 of the Law on the Statute of the Police Function establishes that “Police agents shall respond
in the disciplinary, administrative, civil and criminal sphere for wrongful acts, offenses, errors and
administrative irregularities committed in the exercise of their functions pursuant to the law, regulations and
resolutions” (file of helpful evidence, folio 10866).
401
Article 75 of the Law on the Statute of the Police Function establishes that “The following are internal
oversight mechanisms of the police: the Office to Control Police Actions, the Office to Respond to Police
Irregularities, and the Police Disciplinary Council” (file of helpful evidence, folio 10886).
402
Article 83 of the Law on the Statute of the Police Function establishes that “The external oversight
mechanisms of the police, pursuant to article 81 of the Organic Law of the Police Service and the Bolivarian
National Police Force, are the citizen committees to oversee the police, community councils, and any other
organization of a community nature duly structured that can contribute to improving the procedures,
performance and productivity of the police within the framework of the constitutional and legal norms” (file of
helpful evidence, folio 10888).
86