In an odd form of punishment, a Peruvian provincial capital peacekeeper uses whips made from bull penises to deter criminals. Citizen vigilantes in the highland city of Cajamarca use weapons fashioned from the twisted sinew of a bull's penis to command respect.

The rise of these items over the past several years in one way that individuals are responding to corrupt and apathetic police forces and the state-run criminal justice system.

As a city of roughly 200,000, Cajamarca justice is regularly handed down from citizen watch groups called "rondas urbanas." The urban patrols of more than 30 individuals as they're called tend to give harsh and swift punishment for serious crimes.

"If the police did their jobs there would be no need for us," Fernando Chuquilin, the most popular leader of these "rondas," said.

In a poll among Peruvians conducted last year, they ranked Congress and the National Police the most corrupt institutions, with the judiciary coming in third place.

The group does accomplish some of their mission, the rondas recently broke up an auto-parts theft ring, then turning over the evidence they gathered to a chief local prosecuter, according to Chuquilin. He has punished pickpockets and other repeat thieves, often getting the stolen property returned to its owner.

Their random raids on brothels have sparked outrage from TV reporters in Lima and human rights groups, who view the whip-cracking men more as morality police. These raids often leave women welted from their whips and have set fire to mattresses and other furniture.

Chuquilin, 50, defended his group, saying their actions are targeted only at brothels who employ underage sex workers or are known criminal hangouts, as prostitution is legal in Peru. Locally, they are regarded with respect as even judges and prosecutors understand the efficacy of Chuquilin's men. However, authorities still dislike what the vigilante group encourages.

"People turn to the rondas because they are more accessible," Cajamarca state's chief judge, Fernando Bazan, said. "People rely on them daily - and daily tell us to our face that we are incapable of guaranteeing security."