Meeting of the ECLAC SCA Group to Improve Police Administrative Records in Latin America
The first meeting of the Working Group to develop the “Reference Guide on Police Administrative Records” organized by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI), the Statistics Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the UNODC-INEGI Center of Excellence was held on March 26th, within the framework of the working groups of the ECLAC Statistical Conference of the Americas.
The event was attended by leading statistical institutions in the region, including the National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of Chile, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay.
During the meeting, several presentations were made. Adrian Franco, Vice President of INEGI’s Governing Board, opened the session with a presentation of the objectives of the Reference Guide, as well as the work program for its development. Subsequently, Adriana Oropeza, Coordinator of the UNODC-INEGI Center of Excellence, presented UNODC’s base document that establishes the statistical guidelines for the production of data by police forces, the conceptual basis for the Reference Guide.
This was followed by a brief open discussion session, where the participating countries expressed their concerns and inquiries about the development of the guide. Crucial issues such as the participation of the national police in the collection of data for the exercise, the types of data to be requested and the role of the NSOs in this process were discussed. In addition, possible collaborations and synergies with other institutions were discussed, and the next activities of the group were announced, which will result in the publication of the Guide in 2025.
This meeting marks the first important step in the development of statistical standards to strengthen the quality of police data in Latin America, thus contributing to strengthening national statistical systems and promoting more effective public policies.