12 countries in the region share experiences and best practices to strengthen police statistics
Police statistics based on administrative records represent a key opportunity to improve the operational capacity of security forces. As recognized in international guidelines, well-structured data not only enable better internal management, but also a more effective response to crime, greater institutional transparency, and alignment with global commitments on criminal justice. However, in many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, structural challenges persist that limit the statistical use of these records. Overcoming these gaps is essential to move toward more consistent, comparable, and useful police statistics for public policies on citizen security.
In this context, on January 27, Mexico presented the "Reference Guide on Police Administrative Records" to representatives of the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This Guide presents the results of the work of the Statistics Offices and security institutions of Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Puerto Rico, and was prepared by the UNODC-INEGI Center of Excellence on Statistical Information on Government, Public Security, Victimization, and Governance, in coordination with the Statistics Division of ECLAC.
Actions taken to harmonize and strengthen police records in the region
The work carried out included the characterization of the information recorded by the police in six thematic areas prioritized by the countries: human resources, criminal acts, arrest and detention, seizures, use of force, and professional conduct through a questionnaire in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, which allowed for inclusive participation. This effort was complemented by the translation into Portuguese of the UNODC Guidelines on Police Statistics, reinforcing the multilingual and collaborative nature of the initiative. In addition, a list of guiding indicators was included to facilitate the statistical use of administrative records.
Findings
As a result, based on direct contributions from police and security ministries, a series of good practices were identified that can be replicated in the region:
Inter-institutional coordination: creation of formal mechanisms with a legal mandate and defined roles, which have made it possible to align efforts between statistics offices, police forces, and security ministries.
System modernization: development of interoperable platforms with unique identifiers, multi-level validations, differentiated access profiles, and systematic georeferencing.
Transparency and public use: promotion of data dissemination through interactive dashboards, open databases, and comprehensive metadata that encourage public scrutiny and evidence-based decision-making.
A regional conversation that drives concrete solutions
During the session, gaps detected in the quality, coverage, and traceability of police administrative records gave rise to a valuable regional conversation between national statistics offices, police authorities, and international organizations. Representatives from various countries raised key questions that reflect the daily challenges they face in their institutional contexts:
"What strategies can overcome police reluctance to share named data?" "What areas should be prioritized to strengthen police information systems?" "How can complex registry data be validated?"
The conversation highlighted the need to build permanent spaces for technical dialogue, where practical solutions can be shared, experiences compared, and efforts coordinated among key institutions in the region's security data ecosystem.
In this context, Adrián Franco, vice president of Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), proposed the creation of a regional community of practice on police statistics, taking advantage of the space provided by the Statistical Conference of the Americas (CEA-ECLAC). This initiative seeks to build on the progress made, consolidate a collaborative network, and strengthen coordination between police forces, statistical offices, and regional agencies.
The UNODC–INEGI Center of Excellence confirmed its commitment and technical availability to support this proposal, with the aim of:
Sustain technical and methodological exchange between countries.
Promote institutional ownership of records as inputs for public policy.
Advance toward greater international comparability within the framework of United Nations standards.
The Reference Guide on Police Administrative Records not only marks a technical starting point, but also consolidates itself as a catalyst for a sustained regional process that prioritizes dialogue, evidence, and human rights as pillars of citizen security in Latin America and the Caribbean.