Policia Nacional de Colombia – Aviacion Policial

Author & photographer: Ian French

The Colombian Police can trace their origins back to 1891 when it was established as a direct report to the Governor of Cundinamarca and the Mayor of Bogota.  In 1915, government statute defined the mission of the police to preserve public tranquillity.  The organisation was divided into three groups:

• Surveillance and security
• Civil guard of gendarmerie (principally mail and prisons)
• Judicial police

In addition, the police now reported to the General Command of the Armed Forces (today the Ministry of Defence).

In 1995, a Plan for Cultural Transformation and Institutional Improvement was introduced in Colombia and this resulted in a step change improvement in the competence and efficiency of the police.  The mission today is stated as maintaining the conditions necessary for the exercise of public rights and freedoms and to ensure that the inhabitants of Colombia live in peace.

Today the Colombian Police operates the largest police air fleet in South America.  The police’s aviation force, Aérea de Aviación (ARAVI), headquartered at Bogotá ‘s El Dorado, operates under the command of the Direcciòn Anti-Narcòticos (DIRAN) (Counter-narcotics Directorate).   In addition to counter-narcotics missions, the police use U.S. government-supported assets for humanitarian missions, targeted intelligence gathering, anti-terrorism, anti-kidnapping, high value target, and public order missions.

The fleet has been acquired both through direct procurement and also seizure of assets used by drug carriers.