PERU · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country Peru is a US free-trade partner on South America’s Pacific coast, led since 28 July 2026 by conservative President Keiko Fujimori, whose government has made violent crime the first axis of its 2026-2031 policy.
- —What happened Prime Minister Luis Galarreta installed a cabinet-level crime commission on Sunday 18 October at the Army’s headquarters in San Borja, a district of Lima.
- —Who sits on it Five ministers: the prime minister, who chairs it, and the interior, defence, justice and foreign ministers. Membership is unpaid and cannot be delegated.
- —Why now A decree published on Wednesday 14 October created the body, a week after Fujimori announced a joint military and police Unified Command on Wednesday 7 October.
- —What it does It supervises and coordinates crime policy at cabinet level, but it does not direct police or troops, and its sessions are private.
- —What it means for you Nothing changes on the street yet for visitors or companies, because the body coordinates policy rather than running operations.
- —Still open Who will be its technical secretary, what targets it will set and whether any ministry will get extra money for it.
- —Power Index Peru ranks 5th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 54.7 points (October 2026 edition).
Peru’s prime minister installed a new cabinet-level crime commission on Sunday 18 October 2026 to coordinate the fight against organised crime. Luis Galarreta chaired the session with the interior, defence, justice and foreign ministers at the Army’s headquarters in San Borja, a district of Lima.
For US readers, it shows how the government of conservative President Keiko Fujimori plans to steer its response to extortion, contract killings and drug trafficking. The body coordinates policy and does not direct police or troops, so nothing changes on the street yet.
What Happened on Sunday
The state news agency Andina and the official gazette El Peruano reported that Galarreta installed the commission with Interior Minister César Astudillo, Defence Minister Rafael Belaúnde, Justice and Human Rights Minister Ernesto Álvarez and Foreign Minister Carlos Espá. The meeting took place at the Army’s General Headquarters in San Borja, which is to become the commission’s centre of operations and coordination.
“This body aims to overcome the regulatory, bureaucratic, budgetary and management obstacles that hold back the fight against crime. With this we will give a forceful response to crime and return peace of mind to Peruvian families,” Galarreta said, in remarks released by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM), the cabinet office.
The ministers also agreed unanimously to back the cabinet office’s proposal for the commission’s technical secretary, whose name is to be presented in the coming days. The decree makes that post the commission’s technical and administrative support, appointed by the prime minister through a ministerial resolution.
The session came four days after the decree was published, well inside the 10 working days it allows for installation. Our earlier report, Peru Creates 5-Minister Security Commission, covers the decree itself.
What the Decree Says
Supreme Decree 141-2026-PCM was signed on Tuesday 13 October and published in the gazette on Wednesday 14 October. It names the body the High-Level Multisectoral Commission to Recover Security and Public Order and gives it the nickname “Perú en Orden”, or Peru in Order.
The commission is permanent and answers to the cabinet office, with the prime minister in the chair. Its other four members are the interior, defence, justice and foreign ministers, who serve without pay and cannot send deputies.
Its task is to supervise the first axis of the government’s 2026-2031 policy, which aims to cut violent crime, extortion and organised crime. It can issue alerts, propose measures and rules to the cabinet, and propose where money should go, subject to review by the Economy and Finance Ministry.
The commission will be told of all coordination against crime, including that of the Unified Command, but the decree says it will not take part in directing operations. Its sessions are held in private, in person or online, and what it agrees is confidential wherever the transparency law allows.
It is paid for from the budgets of the member ministries, with no extra money from the national treasury. It must approve its internal rules within 30 working days of its installation.
Who Is Who
President Keiko Fujimori, the leader of the conservative Fuerza Popular party, took office on 28 July 2026 after the national electoral jury proclaimed her winner for 2026-2031. Prime Minister Luis Galarreta heads her cabinet and chairs the commission.
Interior Minister César Astudillo runs the ministry responsible for internal order, whose powers the decree says the commission does not override, and Defence Minister Rafael Belaúnde oversees the armed forces. Justice and Human Rights Minister Ernesto Álvarez and Foreign Minister Carlos Espá complete the group, and the decree does not say what the foreign minister’s role will be.
How It Fits With the Unified Command
On Wednesday 7 October, Fujimori announced a Unified Command joining the armed forces and the National Police, with a control and operations centre at the same Army headquarters. The cabinet office later said it would have 1,350 personnel, a special elite unit and a control and operations centre.
The same day, Fujimori said her government was creating a special executive commission against crime to coordinate ministries and public bodies and, where needed, private ones. The decree published a week later created the commission installed on Sunday, and the reports reviewed do not say whether it is the body she described.
National Police commander-general Fredy López said on Wednesday 14 October that the new commission should help police obtain data from the financial intelligence unit, the telecoms regulator Osiptel, the regulator of civilian weapons and private security, and the migration agency. “What is sought is for the interrelation among agencies to be much more fluid in order to obtain information,” he said.
What It Means for You
A Peru advisory dated 8 September 2026 on the US Embassy in Lima’s website rates the country Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, because of crime, unrest, kidnapping and terrorism. It says Do Not Travel to the Colombia-Peru border area of Loreto, the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro river valleys (VRAEM) and the cities of Abancay, Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Huancayo, and notes that Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu lie outside those areas.
Nothing in the decree changes those risks for visitors, because the commission coordinates policy and does not run police operations. The advisory also warns that crime risk rises at night and that criminal groups sometimes set up roadblocks outside Lima.
For companies, the commission is a coordination table rather than a spending programme, since it draws only on the member ministries’ own budgets and can merely propose spending priorities. Business groups can be invited to its enlarged sessions, but those sessions are confidential, so firms facing extortion should not expect public reports on what is decided.
Fujimori invited foreign governments on 7 October to share their “experience, technology, information and resources” against crime, saying that “the defence of citizens’ lives has no flag.” The decree gives the commission no stated role in foreign cooperation, although the foreign minister is a member.
What Is Not Known
The name of the technical secretary has not been published, and the cabinet office says it will be presented in the coming days. It is also not known when the commission will meet again, because its sessions and most of its agreements are confidential.
No crime targets have been made public. The decree says the commission will supervise progress through indicators and goals set with the responsible ministries, but none appeared in the official reports reviewed.
It is not known how much the commission will cost beyond the member ministries’ existing budgets. It is also too early to say whether it will cut the extortion and killings that the government has made its first priority.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Peru install on 18 October?
Prime Minister Luis Galarreta installed a high-level commission to coordinate the fight against organised crime at the Army’s headquarters in San Borja, Lima. It was created by Supreme Decree 141-2026-PCM, published on 14 October.
Who sits on the commission?
The prime minister chairs it, and the interior, defence, justice and foreign ministers are the other members. They serve without pay and cannot send deputies.
Will the commission command police or soldiers?
No, the decree says it will supervise and coordinate but not direct operations. Operations stay with the National Police and the armed forces, including the Unified Command.
Does this change travel advice for Peru?
Not by itself, because the commission coordinates policy rather than running security on the street. An advisory dated 8 September 2026 on the US Embassy in Lima’s website rates Peru Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution.
What is still unknown about the commission?
Its technical secretary has not been named, and no crime targets or extra funding have been published. Its sessions are private, so the public may learn little about what it decides.
Sources: El Peruano, Supreme Decree 141-2026-PCM, 14 October 2026, El Peruano, installation report, 18 October 2026, Andina, installation report, 18 October 2026, TV Perú, installation report, 19 October 2026, El Peruano, creation of the commission, 14 October 2026, Interior Ministry, statement of 14 October 2026, El Peruano, Unified Command announcement, 7 October 2026, El Peruano, Unified Command actions, 9 October 2026, El Peruano, cabinet appointments, 28 July 2026, Gestión, electoral jury proclamation of Keiko Fujimori, US Embassy in Peru, travel advisory of 8 September 2026, El Comercio, installation report, 18 October 2026. All opened on 19 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error