Residents in Lima woke up in the Peruvian capital on Wednesday with soldiers stationed in streets, train stations, and buses on the first day of a new 30-day state of emergency decreed by the country's government.

The state of emergency suspended several constitutional rights, including protests, so that the police could tackle crime.

In a decree published in the official gazette, the government also banned two adults from riding on the same motorcycle.

In Lima alone there are more than one million motorcyclists.

"During the state of emergency, we increased the number of operations to ensure greater fluidity, and other institutions have joined us, such as the armed forces," said Rocio de los Milagros Mayhua, a National Police Colonel.

The state of emergency establishes several prohibitions in prisons, including a reduction in visits to inmates, the cutting off of electricity in cells for any use other than lighting, and the destruction of illegal telephone antennas in the surrounding area.

President José Jerí oversaw an operation at a prison in the capital which confiscated items including scissors and memory cards.

Jerí's predecessor Dina Boluarte also declared a state of emergency this year which lasted from May to March, a measure which was largely seen to be ineffective.

Peru has seen a rise in crime rates in recent years, with most victims belonging to the working class. Murders rose from 676 cases in 2017 to 2,082 in 2024, while reports of extortion increased from 2,305 in 2020 to 21,746 last year, according to data from the prosecutor's office.

AP video shot by Mauricio Muñoz