From August 12 to 14, 2025, more than 50 female non-commissioned officers from the 2025 graduating class of the National Police Technical and Vocational Training School in San Bartolo, Lima, took part in an introductory course on ballistics intelligence and the fight against illicit firearms trafficking.
The training, designed exclusively for women in law enforcement, was organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police of Peru.
The program covered key topics including the regional context of armed violence in Latin America and the Caribbean, ballistics intelligence, firearm and ammunition identification, components and markings, serial number restoration, forensic ballistics and evidence handling, illicit weapons manufacturing, and international cooperation in firearms tracing and special investigative techniques. A mix of theoretical and hands-on sessions aimed to strengthen the technical capacities of the participants.
The initiative comes at a time when women remain underrepresented in Peruvian law enforcement agencies. According to a 2023 report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, only 16.47% of non-commissioned officers in the National Police are women, a figure that drops to just 12.07% among commissioned officers. These numbers highlight the ongoing gender gap in the security sector and underscore the importance of equipping women with the tools and knowledge to play a more active role in reducing armed violence.
This training not only seeks to enhance the Peruvian National Police’s effectiveness in combating illicit arms trafficking, but also to empower the next generation of female officers with strategic and technical skills—advancing both public security and gender equity within the police force.
This initiative is aligned with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 65/69 on Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, as well as gender-related recommendations from the most recent Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA RevCon4), which calls on states to promote the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in arms control and the fight against illicit trafficking.
The activity was made possible with support from the Government of Canada, under the “Women, Disarmament and Youth” project.