San José is slated to see its own police force next week after Costa Rica's public security minister, Janina del Vecchio, announced the creation of the Metropolitan Police.

After the April 10 graduation of 150 new recruits, the security ministry decided to create yet another police force to exclusively patrol the capital's downtown area.

“I don't want desk cops, nor do I want them hiding in branch offices,” said the recently appointed minister, Del Vecchio. “I want them in the streets, the neighborhoods, within reach of the people and on the front lines of the battle against crime.”

Del Vecchio also indicated she would begin distributing police according to a “scientific” model based on the zones and hours where and when crimes most often occur.

In February, the Comptroller General's office, after conducting an audit of Public Security Ministry procedures, issued a scathing report that stated police branches were not being located in high-crime areas.

The report states the ministry was required to use a “public-security index” in 2002 to help it decide where to allocate branches and manpower. But officials never followed through and the department responsible for implementing it declined to cooperate with the audit investigators.

The new police will begin patrolling on May 8 and their branch office will be at the Parque Central.