The cop is in a huff when he pulls over the carload of tourists. He stands in the cold dusk air on the main road into Arequipa scanning the registration and insurance documents. Fernando, riding co-pilot and the only local in the car, answers the questions for the non-Spanish speaking driver. They assume he’ll just nod and wave them on, as other police officers have done so far – the car’s papers are in perfect order. Instead he asks gruffly for the Circulation Card, something they neither have, nor need. The games begin.

He takes Fernando around the back of the vehicle, where they argue over what documentation is required. Fernando calls the rental agency, who tell the cop that we have all the papers we need. He, in turn, calls over a colleague – who shrugs and gets on with his work. The officer keeps up his very angry act. He is hoping that, out of sight of the gringos, Fernando will ask how they might be able to resolve this little matter, and slip him a few notes. He sees tourists, which equal dollars, and a local guide who knows how to get out of trouble with Peruvian police.
Eventually, he tells the tourists they’ll have to accompany him to the police station so he can “write out a ticket”. It’s an obvious bluff, and Fernando calls him on it saying, okay, we’ll follow you. But of course, the cop can’t give them a ticket here or at the station because they’ve done nothing wrong. He bluffs and blusters some more then disappears to harass someone else, and the tourists go on their way, a little stunned by the whole experience.

At APEC press conferences, Peruvian journalists fell over themselves to get in questions about the organisation’s anti-corruption measures. It’s a serious problem here; a rot in the system that holds the country back from progressing as it should.

Take this example. Five young Peruvians died on Christmas day in a stampede to get out of a nightclub. The direct cause was someone throwing a tear gas grenade, obviously intending to cause serious harm. I’m not exonerating that person, but given the venue had no operating license or safety certificate, the club’s owner and the local authorities should be considered equally responsible. If the club had complied with safety regulations, especially in terms of ventilation and emergency exits, then those five people most likely would still be alive today.
Some reports estimate that only 3% of bars and clubs in the city concerned, Juliaca, have the appropriate papers to be operating. The rest are still in business not because the cops haven’t noticed them, but because the cops are happy to pocket an “on the spot fine” and leave them alone.

Should every person individually inspect the safety certificate on every building they walk into? Surely, that’s the authorities’ job… When they don’t, the result is, essentially, chaos.
The traffic in Lima is a good example of this. They drivers scream around like maniacs, with no fear of demerit points, let alone a court appearance. At worst, they will have to slip a little something to a police officer and continue on their way.

When even the police don’t take the rule of law seriously, the whole system becomes a joke. Life in Peru would be a lot different without the corruption. Hopefully some President one of these days might take it upon her or himself to do something about it.

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