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Law Enforcement In Cuba

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The law enforcement task in the Socialist Republic of Cuba is entirely under the supervision of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and the Ministry of Interior(Kruger, 2007, p.104). After the fall of the communism, the cutoff of the Soviet aid led to the defunding of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Castro regime focused more attention on internal law enforcement. According to Sullivan and others (2004), “the focus of the national security shifted to the maintenance of the domestic order and to the higher profile of the Ministry of Interior” (p. 1033). Historically, Cuba has been a melting pot of different ideologies based upon its colonial past. Its law enforcement apparatus has been influenced by the American model 1900 – 1902, the Spanish, the Chinese, but more so by the Soviet Socialist ideologies that appeals to the common good of all as opposed to western ideologies of the self under Fidel Castro. Cuba has a “centralized police organization, highly hierarchical structure with party-based bureaucracies and internal accountability, shielded from public criticism” (Sullivan and Others, 2004, p. 1033). The police are centrally controlled from Havana and have headquarters at provincial and municipal levels. The structural organization of law enforcement in Cuba is centralized with various security units …show more content…

As such, the National Revolutionary Police force which has between 10, 000 to 12, 000 Police Officers are being helped by approximately 50, 000 or more volunteer members and auxiliary paramilitary militia groups patrolling the streets during the nights to maintain law and order. According to Kurian (2006), “the citizen groups known as Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) perform vigilante duties in their communities and conduct surveillance" (p.3). Every member of (CDR) stand guard duties for four hours at least once a

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