President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella said Tuesday that retired General Alejandro Barrera will serve as the new director of the National Police [1].
The appointment signals a shift toward decentralizing security operations and reintegrating veteran leadership into the police command structure to strengthen national safety.
De la Espriella made the announcement on Aug. 4, 2026 [1], during a National Security Summit held in Barranquilla [2]. Alongside the appointment of Barrera, the president-elect named retired General Norberto Mujica as the sub-director of the force [3].
A key component of the new security strategy involves the reincorporation of two generals into the police command [4]. This move is intended to bolster the operational capacity of the force as the incoming administration prepares to take office.
Beyond personnel changes, the administration plans to shift the geographical center of police leadership. De la Espriella said the National Police sub-directorate will be relocated to Barranquilla [4].
This relocation is part of a broader policy to push security resources away from the capital and into regional hubs. By placing a primary command center in the Caribbean coast city, the administration aims to improve response times, and oversight in areas previously underserved by central command [3].
Barrera, referred to in some reports as Jesús Alejandro Barrera [5], will lead the transition toward this decentralized model. The National Security Summit served as the platform for the president-elect to outline these goals and establish the framework for his government's approach to law enforcement [2].
“Retired General Alejandro Barrera will serve as the new director of the National Police.”
The decision to move the National Police sub-directorate to Barranquilla and appoint retired generals suggests a strategic pivot toward regionalism. By breaking the traditional concentration of power in Bogotá, the De la Espriella administration is attempting to address security vulnerabilities in the coastal regions while signaling a return to traditional military-police leadership structures.
