People's Police of Venezuela (15 photos)

54-year-old housewife first time shooting a machine gun, producing a deafening noise, lights and joy. Instructor training camps for recruits egged: "Kill those gringos!"

Thousands of civilian volunteers in olive-green form of training on the basis of the Venezuelan army, where they are taught to crawl on their bellies under the barbed wire, shoot firearms and hunt down enemies. It is called the formation of a "police them. Bolivar "- army, recruited from civilian patriotic men and women - from students to pensioners, who are united by the fact that they are willing to arms to defend the governments to, and its President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez has repeatedly pointed to the potential enemies of Venezuela - is the United States, Colombia allied with them, and within the Venezuelan oligarchs, as he calls his opponents. He urged the volunteers to be ready, if necessary, lay down their lives defending the country against "any threat, internal or external," even though Venezuela has never waged war with another nation.


The police - a "personal army, a Praetorian Guard," as Rear Admiral Retired Elias Buhtser, Chavez opponent. According to him, in fact, the police set up Chavez is not possible to counter the US threat, and to maintain control over their country to remain in power, because "that happen on stage there will be armed volunteers." In the picture - a participant of the police sneaks through thickets during exercises in Charallave, Venezuela.



Participant police aiming during firing in Charallave, Venezuela. President Hugo Chavez has paid much attention to the formation of a people's militia, repeatedly pointing to potential enemies: the United States, allied with them Colombia and oligarchic clans within the Venezuelan.



Volunteers from the police march during a training exercise in Charallave. Chavez uses the police to combine their supporters warm up patriotic fervor citizens and intimidate opponents, so they do not try to take another attempted coup, as it happened in the year 2002.



Most of the volunteers seem to be in the joy of marching solntsepёku uniform and impregnated with dirt and sweat. Some even smear the face of burnt land, remaining at the site of forest fires. Volunteers are happy to be in the circle of friends and associates. "One day we walked and watched Chinese movies all night" - says one of them.



Participant militias lipstick in front of a solemn oath ceremony, which will take the president Hugo Chavez in Caracas. The ranks of the volunteers come all sorts of people - from the unemployed to electricians, bank clerks and social workers.



The guards shoot of the old Belgian FAL rifles at targets from the line 80 yards



Instructors, including experienced militia and army officers say that one of their objectives - to prepare the police to resist the occupation forces. They allude to insurgents, Bob with American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.



Venezuelan militia members shouted slogans in support of President Chavez before the inauguration ceremony in Caracas. "We are not here because we have someone made. We're here because we're patriots, "- said Maria Henriquez, an unemployed 44-year-old, appeared, all in the dust of the trenches and barbed wire. "We are ready to give their lives for our president," - she added.



Volunteers in a cloud of smoke and dust after a shot of anti-tank gun during a training exercise in Charallave, Venezuela.



Volunteers run during a training exercise in Charallave.



Participants learn how to respond to police ambush in the forest, camouflaged with the help of twigs and dry grass on uniforms and mud-smeared faces. They hide behind the pigsty and shoot blanks on the abandoned building during the simulation operations hostage. an echo of the shots repeatedly reflected inside the building and shoot shells tinkle on the concrete floor, and finally someone shouts "all clear!»



Venezuelan police detachment members celebrate the end of artillery fire during an exercise in Charallave. Some of the volunteers say that Venezuelans have nothing to fear, that their only task - to defend their country, and that all firearms at the end of the exercise is locked in military arsenals. Volunteers also perform a number of functions in the peaceful life of the country - for example, keep order in the state stores and markets, and ready to help in case of earthquakes and other natural disasters.



Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez welcomed the members of the militia he created on the avenue Bolivar in Caracas just before the inauguration ceremony.



Recruits shouting in Spanish "I swear" during the oath of Militia Day in Caracas. "Socialist Homeland or Death! We will win! "- Chanting crowd of volunteers.