Individual Corruption

The Venezuelan police are perceived to be the most corrupt public institution in the country, according to Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2010, where slightly less than two-thirds of the surveyed households consider the police as 'extremely corrupt', while more than a quarter report having paid a bribe in 2009. This is backed by the Latinobarómetro 2008 (see English version), which reveals that Venezuela is one of the countries in the region where most respondents believe that it is possible to bribe a police officer in order to avoid a fine or arrest.

According to the US Department of State 2010, corruption is a serious problem in law enforcement agencies. Police officers are generally poorly paid and receive minimal training. According to the report, more than 19,000 police or National Guard officers committed crimes between July 2008 and July 2009, of which over 4,200 involved corruption and over 1,300 extortion. According to an October 2009 assessment by the Interior and Justice Minister, police committed approximately 15-20% of the country's crimes. Although hundreds of investigations are carried out each year, impunity is still the rule as very few are convicted.

According to the report, also prison staff is prone to corruption, and extortion was common among prison guards and inmates.

Business Corruption

Police extortion of companies is not uncommon. According to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011, companies identify Venezuela to perform poorly in relation to the reliability of police services to protect them from crime. Consequently, there has been an increasing reliance on private security to protect foreign companies and expatriate staff, particularly in the oil sector. Similarly, in the World Bank & IFC Enterprise Surveys 2006, more than half of the surveyed companies pay for security in Venezuela, while close to half of these companies identify crime, theft and disorder as major constraints to doing business in the country.

Global Integrity 2009 reports on a case of police extortion of a businessman who was under investigation by the National District Attorney. On pretext of searching for evidence police officers from the Corps of Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations entered the businessman's house and extorted him to pay VEF 6.000 to avoid troubles. After consulting with his attorney, the businessman accepted to pay off the officers in order to avoid that they planted false evidence that could damage his case.

Political Corruption

The US Department of State 2010 reports that corruption, abuse of power, and a culture of impunity plague the Venezuelan police. According to Global Integrity 2009, appointments to law enforcement agencies are sometimes based on non-professional criteria, and party loyalties may be considered in some cases. Furthermore, in practice the law enforcement agencies are not protected from the interference of the executive. Also, the report highlights that law enforcement officers may sometimes enjoy protection from criminal investigations. 

The US Department of State 2010 reports that the government uses police forces to repress political demonstrations and that President Chávez has in several cases tried to take over control with the police in cities or provinces led by the opposition. In December 2009, following the killing of two National Guardsmen in Tachira state, Chávez claimed that the police forces in Tachira and Zulia, whose governors are members of the opposition, had failed to control Colombian paramilitary activity and warned that he had ordered the Defense Minister to seize state police headquarters if they continued 'to openly defy the public authority'.

In 2003, Chávez refused to comply with a Supreme Tribunal of Justice ruling that ordered the return of control of the Caracas police force from the federal government to the city's mayor who belonged to the political opposition. The government alleges that the police force was repressing pro-government demonstrations, while Chávez's opponents claim that the decision to take over the Caracas police force undermined the autonomy of the civilian police.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011:
- Business executives give the reliability of the Venezuelan police services to enforce law and order a score of 2.1 on a 7-point scale (1 'cannot be relied upon at all' and 7 'can always be relied upon').

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2010:
- Citizens give the police a score of 4.4 on a 5-point scale (1 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt').

- Over 63% of households surveyed consider the police to be 'extremely corrupt'.

- 28.5% of households who had contact with the police in 2009 report having paid a bribe.

Human Rights Watch: World Report 2009:
- Over 6,000 police and National Guard officials were implicated in alleged extrajudicial killings between 2000 and 2007; only over 1,140 had been charged, and only 204 convicted.

Latinobarómetro: Annual Report 2008 (see English version):
- 60% of respondents in this public survey believe that it is possible to bribe a police official to avoid a fine or arrest.

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2006:
- More than 51% of companies surveyed pay for security in Venezuela.

- More than 47.7% of companies surveyed identify crime, theft and disorder as a major constraint on doing business.