Many sacked in Colombian police purge

More than one-hundred-and-thirty members of the police in Colombia have been sacked -- mostly because of alleged links with paramilitary groups or human rights abuses.

At least forty senior officers were among those who've lost their jobs.

Correspondents say it's the biggest purge of the state security forces in recent months.

In an attempt to improve their image, the police have discharged eleven-thousand personnel since 1994 for human rights offences, corruption or drug-trafficking.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service