You’ll probably never need to use any of these emergency phone numbers in Peru, but it’s a good idea to know who to call if something does come up. Below you’ll find numbers for the national police and other police services, as well as the fire brigade, medical services and a handful of other emergency numbers.

Here are the three most important emergency numbers in Peru (more details follow):

105
for the police
116
for the fire brigade
106
for an ambulance

Police Phone Numbers in Peru

Dial 105 for the National Police emergency number nationwide.

Or dial 911, which also puts you through to the police.

Calling 105 is the traditional way of contacting the Peruvian national police in the event of an emergency. Due to the use of 911 in various other countries, particularly in North America, the 911 number has also been adopted in Peru and will put you through to the emergency switchboard.

Both numbers are free to call.

If you need some help but it’s not necessarily an emergency, you can try contacting the Peruvian Tourist Police (Dirección de Policía de Turismo y Ecología, or DIRTURE) on 460 1060.

Then there’s the Serenazgo, a type of municipal police force (watchmen) who act as a backup to the police and local security. They are often quite useless — and as such don’t have a great reputation in many parts of Peru — but they can be useful for things like noise complaints, neighborly disputes and the like. You can see a list of Serenazgo phone numbers for Lima districts here; outside Lima, you’ll need to look online for a local contact number or the address of the relevant office.

Volunteer fire fighters battle a blaze in Tarapoto, Peru. Photo by Tony Dunnell.

Fire Brigade Phone Number in Peru

Dial 116 for the fire brigade.

This puts you through to the Cuerpo General de Bomberos Voluntarios Del Perú. Peru’s fire service is entirely voluntary, so you’ve got to give these guys extra respect when they throw themselves into dangerous situations. As well as fires, they respond to vehicle accidents and medical emergencies.

Medical Emergency Phone Numbers in Peru

Dial 106 for the Ministry of Health emergency number.

Dialing 106 puts you through to the Sistema de Atención Móvil de Urgencia (SAMU), the emergency response service of the Ministerio de Salud del Perú. For most medical emergencies, this is what you need to call (free of charge).

For large scale emergencies and disasters — for example, a natural disaster such as an earthquake — you can call the Peruvian Red Cross (Cruz Roja) by dialing 115 for emergencies or (01) 2660481.

Another option for natural disasters is to call Peru’s Civil Defense (Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civil de Perú, or INDECI) on 110.