General Fired by Petro Named Colombia’s New Police Chief

The president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella announced the appointment of retired General Alejandro Barrera Peña as the new director of the National Police, a decision that marks the return to the institution of one of the officers removed from the police leadership during the restructuring ordered by Gustavo Petro’s government in 2022.

Barrera’s arrival at the helm of the Police will be accompanied by the appointment of another retired general, Norberto Mujica, as deputy director of the police force. Both officers share one common element: they were removed from active service during the sweeping overhaul of the chain of command that, at the beginning of Petro’s administration, resulted in the departure of 21 generals and their transfer to the reserve.

General fired by Petro named Colombia’s new police chief

Barrera Peña will be reinstated into active service to take command of the institution starting tomorrow, Friday, when De la Espriella is sworn in as president of Colombia. His appointment represents one of the first signals from the new administration regarding security, one of the central pillars of his electoral campaign.

General Barrera has a career spanning more than three decades within the National Police. Throughout his career, he held positions related to intelligence, operations, and rural security, in addition to leading the Directorate of Carabineros and Rural Security.

His academic background, which includes degrees in police administration and business administration, as well as specializations in security, human resources management, and studies in France, combined with extensive experience in strategic areas of the institution, were among the elements highlighted by the president-elect when announcing his return.

His departure occurred in 2022, when Gustavo Petro’s government promoted a transformation of the Public Force leadership shortly after taking office. The decision led to the retirement of numerous high-ranking officers, including generals with extensive operational experience, under the argument that it was necessary to renew the leadership of the military and police institutions.

Petro’s police leadership overhaul

The departure of Barrera and other generals drew criticism from opposition sectors and retired members of the Public Force, who questioned the removal of experienced officers from their positions for reasons they associated with the political change in the country’s leadership.

Among the affected officers was also Norberto Mujica Jaime, who will now return to the Police as the second-in-command. Mujica had a career linked to police intelligence and held positions of responsibility within the institution before being removed during the leadership reorganization.

The official objective, explained by the Petro government to justify the overhaul four years ago, was to “refresh” the institution and eliminate possible political affiliations among senior commanders, although for many members of the Police and analysts —as detailed in a report by Semana magazine— “the measure left the institution in a state of uncertainty and affected internal morale.”

The administration taking office on August 7 considers that the return of these officers will allow the recovery of accumulated experience in the fight against organized crime, drug trafficking, and illegal armed groups.

For De la Espriella, security will be a priority from the beginning of his term, and the Police will play a central role in implementing his public order strategy.

A new direction for security

Barrera’s appointment comes at a time when the incoming government seeks to differentiate itself from the security policy implemented during the Petro administration. De la Espriella has announced a tougher approach against criminal structures and a review of the strategy of dialogue with illegal armed groups.

In addition to Barrera and Mujica, the new police leadership will include retired General Ricardo Augusto Alarcón, who will be responsible for defining citizen security policy in urban areas. The team reflects the new government’s intention to combine the experience of former commanders with a new political direction focused on strengthening the institution’s operational capabilities.

Barrera’s appointment also carries a strong symbolic component: an officer who left the Police during the first stage of the Petro government will return to lead it under an administration that promises to reverse several of the security decisions adopted over the past four years.

According to statements from the De la Espriella government, one of the main objectives of the new police leadership will be to “restore internal confidence and the motivation of officers after years marked by abrupt changes and divisions generated by political decisions.”