Cuerpo Técnico de Policía Judicial

The Cuerpo Técnico de Policía Judicial (PTJ, by its acronym in Spanish; lit.

Created in 1958, it was responsible for criminal investigations and forensic services, as well as counter-narcotics.

[1] It was replaced by the Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas in late 2001.

The police's central role in judicial investigation in Venezuela can be traced back to the security forces of Juan Vicente Gómez, via the Seguridad Nacional of Marcos Pérez Jiménez.

[2] In many countries, the judicial police is placed in the Ministério Público (MP, Public Ministry).