The citizen security doctrine of Chavismo is marked by the systematic militarization of police organizations and nearly absolute control over civil order. This contradicts international standards regarding public order.
Sources from Venezuela Política, which we must keep secret for security reasons, have revealed that police organizations are under military control.
Our informants highlight the seriousness of the situation, indicating that the Bolivarian National Guard and military commands have displaced civilian and state authorities. Moreover, they claim that the absolute control over the Operational Defense Zones (ZODI) dilutes individual responsibilities and facilitates the evasion of justice in cases of potential abuse of force.
In light of these circumstances, it is urgent to return to civilian management, where local police regain their autonomy, governors take charge of regional security, and judicial institutions act as independent guarantors of human rights, rather than aligning with the executive power to ensure impunity.
Chavismo’s Citizen Security Doctrine vs. Global Doctrine
The citizen security doctrine of the Chavista regime contrasts sharply with the global doctrine, which proposes a model of civil and police management where responsibility lies with governors and career police authorities. Military intervention is limited to exceptional situations that must guarantee accountability.
The current model in Venezuela is characterized by absolute militarization of operational control, where the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) and the ZODI displace civilian police authorities.
Our source warns that this structure leads to a lack of individual accountability for human rights violations due to the use of mixed units and the alignment of the judicial system to guarantee impunity.
Military Control
The current system operates under an inverted military control logic compared to international standards, where citizen security and public order are managed as defense operations.
Thus, in the command and operational control structure, the ZODI exert absolute control, while governors and mayors do not assume competencies or responsibilities, but rather delegate security entirely to military command.
Similarly, at all levels—national, state, and municipal—the GNB assumes operational control and maintains primary responsibility for security devices and restoring public order.
Meanwhile, the National Bolivarian Police (PNB), state, and municipal police are limited in their autonomy, having to remain under the operational control of military commands.
According to our source, the order of action is distributed as follows:
AreaOrder of ActionKey ObservationPublic Order1. GNB 2. PNB 3. State Police 4. Militia The resource has little legal experience and operates under ZODI’s operational orders.Citizen Security1. GNB 2. PNB 3. State Police 4. Militia Institutions act at their own discretion; most devices are designed by the ZODI.
Consequences of Chavismo’s Citizen Security Doctrine
The implementation of the current citizen security doctrine of Chavismo has profound consequences for the administration of justice and professional training, as our source warns Venezuela Política.
The primary concern is the displacement of the police career since both the PNB and many state and municipal police forces are led by active or retired military members, primarily from the GNB.
Additionally, the Ministry of Popular Power for Interior Relations, Justice, and Peace (MPPIJP) is commanded by retired military personnel who hold deputy ministerial positions and lead training institutes, ensuring absolute control over police leadership appointments without considering local authorities’ recommendations.
Secondly, there is an evasion of responsibility, as the use of units composed of various bodies complicates the determination of individual responsibilities in cases of human rights violations.
Meanwhile, the Public Ministry, the Ombudsman’s Office, and the courts are aligned to ensure that no officials involved in excesses face charges.
It is emphasized that there is vague training in legal fundamentals and in the progressive and differentiated use of force, particularly in units like the Militia.
What the Global Citizen Security Doctrine States
The global doctrine on citizen security establishes a framework of action where civilian primacy is essential, and military action is subsidiary.
Under this framework, governors and citizen security secretariats are directly responsible for public order. They must appoint police leaders—with ministerial approval—and issue documented, written, and recorded orders.
Lines of command should be exclusively held by career officials within police institutions, not by military personnel.
Under this model, intervention is organized to prioritize proximity and civil specialization:
Municipal Level: constant participation according to devices designed by the Citizen Security Secretariat.State Level: state police assume initial control and responsibility.National Level: national police intervene only if state capabilities are exceeded.Military Support (GN): military institutions only act in support when police operational capacity is surpassed and following a national executive order.
The Necessary Transformation
The Chavista citizen security doctrine, as we see, reveals a significant gap between current practices and international standards for citizen security, making an integral transformation imperative to shift control from military to civil.
Guarantee of Rights: To ensure respect for human rights, it is crucial for the judicial structure to act independently as a guarantor of due process, eliminating the alignment that protects impunity.Institutional Strengthening: The Ministry of Interior should focus on reinforcing its deputy ministries and research and control institutes for police actions—internal affairs—under a civil logic.Operational Transparency: It is essential to move from a model of discrete orders to a system where responsibility is supported by clear and recorded instructions, allowing for the establishment of individual responsibility at each level of action.