Overview:
The Haitian National Police marked its 31st anniversary amid a worsening security crisis, with at least 35 officers killed and four abducted over the past year. The recent kidnapping of Inspector General James Boyard and his family underscores the growing reach of gangs that now control much of Port-au-Prince.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — The Haitian National Police (PNH) marked its 31st anniversary this week amid mounting losses from Haiti’s deepening security crisis, with at least 35 officers killed and four abducted over the past year, including the recent kidnapping of Inspector General James Boyard and his family.
Boyard, an inspector general of the PNH and chief of staff to Defense Minister Mario Andrésol, was kidnapped on Bourdon Road in Port-au-Prince on June 11 while traveling with his wife and child. He is considered one of the highest-ranking Haitian security officials abducted in recent years as armed gangs, according to the United Nations, control about 90% of the capital.
“Due to the alarming security situation in the Artibonite, Centre and West departments, police officers are systematically exposed to attacks carried out by armed terrorist gangs,” the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) said in a report.
“Due to the alarming security situation in the Artibonite, Centre and West departments, police officers are systematically exposed to attacks carried out by armed terrorist gangs.”
National Human Rights Defense Network
Police have released few details but said they are working to secure Boyard’s release. Several local media outlets reported that the kidnappers demanded a ransom, though the amount remains unknown.
The abduction highlights how Haiti’s security crisis has increasingly targeted even those responsible for combating it.
James Boyard, Inspector General of the Haitian National Police (PNH). Photo via Boyard’s Facebook profile.
“Armed groups have carried out nearly 100 kidnappings since the beginning of 2026,” Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR), said during a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council on June 15.
As of publication, Boyard and his family remained captive. Neither the PNH nor Haiti’s Ministry of Defense had publicly provided additional details about the case.
Haiti has faced a prolonged security and governance crisis that has worsened as gangs consolidated under the coalition known as Viv Ansanm. The alliance has expanded attacks beyond Port-au-Prince into provincial regions, particularly the Artibonite, Centre and South-East departments.
The violence has left no one untouched, including members of the country’s police force. The grim reality overshadowed the PNH anniversary ceremony, where authorities honored officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The most recent police killings occurred on May 29 in Morne Robert, a locality in the commune of Verrettes in the Artibonite department. Three officers — Pierre Emmanuel Germain and Richecarde Casimir of the Temporary Anti-Gang Unit (UTAG), and Schneider Hilaire of the Motorized Intervention Brigade (BIM) — were killed alongside civilian Claubens Norius Petit during an operation targeting members of the Gran Grif gang.
According to the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), the police vehicle carrying the officers veered off the road and plunged into a ravine during the operation. Gang members then attacked, killed the officers, seized weapons, ammunition and other equipment, and abandoned the bodies, which police recovered on May 31.
Alarming toll among police officers
The deaths brought the number of officers killed between June 2025 and June 2026 to 35, including 21 who died in clashes with armed gangs. RNDDH also reported that four police officers were abducted during the period and remain missing.
Beyond the human toll, the police institution has suffered severe infrastructure losses. RNDDH recorded eight attacks on police stations during the reporting period, bringing the total number of attacks against police infrastructure to 85 since 2021.
“The consequences for the Haitian National Police are enormous,” RNDDH said in its report.
RNDDH documented 41 police stations and substations that have been partially or completely destroyed or abandoned in the Artibonite, Centre, West and South-East departments. At least six police outposts attacked by gangs no longer exist, including those in Canaan 1, Canaan 3, Drouillard 6, Morne-à-Cabris, the PNH hospital outpost in Bon Repos and the Village Renaissance outpost.
The organization also examined the difficult working conditions faced by police officers, which it said have contributed to the institution’s inability to fully respond to the security crisis.
During 107 monitoring visits to 50 police stations nationwide, RNDDH found that officers regularly face gang attacks while receiving inadequate salaries and lacking the equipment necessary to confront heavily armed groups. Many police facilities also suffer from poor conditions, including unreliable electricity and inadequate infrastructure for officers and the public.
“Despite various donations and acquisitions made during the period under review, police stations and substations continue to face a significant shortage of equipment and logistical resources,” RNDDH said.
The organization cited the Abricot police station as one example, describing a dilapidated building with unfurnished dormitories and a lack of office and police equipment.
Since the start of 2026, gang violence in Haiti has killed at least 2,300 people, injured 1,100 and resulted in 99 kidnappings, according to the United Nations.
“I urge the authorities to move quickly on the judicial units to tackle impunity,” Türk added during the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.
