Be Wary of the Police in Peru

[alexgomez0789]

Policia de Carreteras or Highway Patrol in Peru are perhaps the most corrupt and synical A**holes in all of South America.

Be careful of the 2 following places where I know from expereince and talking to other Riders these Police officers will be waiting for any Adventure rider.

On the Panamerican between Chiclayo and Turjillo by a very large factory there is an akward round-about and these Cops have parked right next to it waiting for riders. I know because 4 other rider were caught there as well and had to bribe these cops.

Heading towards Bolivia just before reaching Puno in the Mountains there is a Highway Patrol car that stops every rider and will check all your paperwork and if it is not up to date and correct including Immigration forms and stamps they will threaten to put you in jail unless you bribe them.

The Police in Peru is the most unfriendly to Riders........stay clear of the Highway Patrol at all costs.

[Throttlemeister]

All the better reason for the staying away from the PanAmerican. Some of the most epic riding in South America is to be had in the mountains of Peru off the PanAmerican far from all these corrupt highway patrol Help yourself to some of the best riding in all of SA and out of the way of these corrupt hands.

[crashmaster]

It's all part of the deal and you will figure out how to deal with it.

After numerous cop stops in Peru, and thousands of miles in that country I was shaken down for many bribes, but I never had to pay one. It's all in how you deal with it. You will learn as you go.

[bananaman]

Even though I'd had experience, the Peru cops were such good (read: BAD) actors that I actually thought I was being arrested. They were aggressive and scary.

It's been a while since anyone has posted about them. I'm glad you brought this up.

[bush pilot]

Yea Peruvian cops are a bit annoying. In about a month there I got stopped twice. They mainly wanted to see the insurance. That's probably where they trip people up. One time the officer started to give me some static about having my light on. I got right back in his face and said of course I have my light on, its always on. Then I asked didn't they have something better to do than to "molestar touristas". It helps to speak some Spanish and let them know you aren't going to be pushed around. I didn't pay anything to them since all my paperwork was in order.
The other stop I actually ignored the first guy who tried waving me down while riding into a small town, his buddy managed to stop me on the other side of town. Showed him the insurance and I was on my way.
A couple of times I stopped to ask directions from the hwy cops. They were very courteous.
It does help to know some spanish and have the insurance paperwork.

[cu260r6]

After being stopped 3 times in one day I just ran the 4th and hoped they didn't have radios. They don't

[markharf]

Just to complete the picture: I was never stopped in Peru. I didn't buy insurance either, since it was only available for a year at a time at great expense. I'd heard of the famous cops outside Trujillo, so when I got near the city I tucked in behind a box truck. The cops were there, and I saw the big one start to motion towards me once he realized I was passing him by, but I just kept going. No consequences.

I passed other Peruvian cops along the way: just waved, they waved back, never stopped, no problems.

I did not pay any mordida anyplace in South America. I don't think I'm remarkable in that respect, although I have been accused of being stubborn once or twice in my life. I thought the cops were somewhat halfhearted in their demands compared to some I've run into in Africa.

Mileage varies.

Mark

[kito]

i think it is an attitude thing maybe . i meet people when traveling and they are talking of all the bribes they pay or all the things that get stolen. i know it can be just luck but it all seems to happen all the time to the same few . i never payed once in south america (but im tight and stuborn haha). these cops outside of trujillo cant be that bad . i stoped the cops to ask in my verry crap spanish for directions .there solution was to all jump in a car and give me a high speed escort across town .they never asked for a penny. i stoped other cops in peru for directions as they were often at junctions in the road . i had no insurance ( i can never understand them when they ask for seguro ) and i never had a problem . the only time in south america that i was asked for money was in venezula and i made them laugh and they just waved me off .

[Misery Goat]

I didn't get pulled over by any Peruvian police and I was lane splitting and wheeling all over the place.

[jordan325ic]

Stopped plenty of times and had to produce paperwork a handful of times. Once I was even asked for insurance (which I didn't have, or know anything about), but we explained that none of the other traffic stops had ever mentioned it and nobody at the border knew where to get it and we were let off. That was the only time out of a dozen stops that it was mentioned, and none ever seriously hinted at a bribe (in Peru anyway).

I think being polite but stubborn is the best solution. Every time some motorcycle tourist opens their wallet and pays a bullshit bribe on the side of the road it paints a bulls-eye on every motorcycle traveller who follows.

[Airhead Wrangler]

Originally Posted by jordan325ic

Stopped plenty of times and had to produce paperwork a handful of times. Once I was even asked for insurance (which I didn't have, or know anything about), but we explained that none of the other traffic stops had ever mentioned it and nobody at the border knew where to get it and we were let off. That was the only time out of a dozen stops that it was mentioned, and none ever seriously hinted at a bribe (in Peru anyway).

I think being polite but stubborn is the best solution. Every time some motorcycle tourist opens their wallet and pays a bullshit bribe on the side of the road it paints a bulls-eye on every motorcycle traveller who follows.

Yes.

I only got pulled over once in Peru. It was because the two guys I was riding with passed a truck on a double yellow line and had a close call with an oncoming cop car. In other words the cops had every reason to pull them over. They didn't check our documents, just wrote both my buddies (not me) a ticket and sent us on our way. They were every bit as professional as a cop can be. I had no probs in Peru and also no no insurance. I think it's important to point out that plenty of people travel these same roads and have zero problems. People only ever write about it when they DO have problems which gives people kind of a distorted view of how things actually are there.

[snohobo]

Got stopped twice outside of Trujillo and both myself and the other couple I was riding with didn't have insurance. They hinted at confiscating the bikes but since it was 5pm on a Friday night and I overheard one of the cops talking to his "corazon" on the phone, we just waited them out. Took my helmet off and started rolling a cigarette.

Turns out he was more interested in his booty call than wasting an hour with us.

[Dan Man]

I would say if you can show insurance or fake insurance you'd never have much of a problem in Peru. Unless you happened to be acting like a complete asshat. Otherwise just wait those guys out, like I always did, you have no where to be.

[Suncruiser]

I'd been riding through Peru for 6 weeks or so, got stopped about 15 times and every single time it was the same procedure: I've done this or that wrong, they ask for the papers. I had plenty of copies of my license laminated, my health insurance in english and my registration. The bad cop pulled out a booklet that shows I'm gonna get a ticket for 465 soles,175 us, he walks to the car and starts writing a ticket. Then the good cop comes up and suggests a 50 soles cash pay, no receipt. I sit on the bike, helmet off, relaxed and tell him I take the ticket. Because for me worst case scenario would've been they get to keep the copies of my papers when they want me to return to the police station and pay the ticket, I'd just carried on with my trip. But every time after 10 min the bad cop comes back, gives me my papers back and wishes me a safe trip. Easy. The paper work for them to do at the station is a lot, plus they loose a lot of time on the road where they can make cash from someone else. It's a business, nothing else.
Ps: I only ever got stopped in Peru, none of the other SA con tries so far.

[oldgringo]

Canal N, a Peruvian television network has a ongoing campaign against corrupt policia, this morning they showed this video and named both officers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEAJcj5Voj4 The rider is from Spain, it was absolutely great to see this on television.
I have been stopped countless times by corrupt policia, most of the problems are on the Panamericana Norte, I've never been stopped on side roads or in the Andes.