GUATEMALAN authorities have expressed concern about the power of organised drug gangs, after eight police officers were shot dead inside their station.

Gunmen shot eight officers dead and kidnapped the chief of police in Salcaja, about 200km from Guatemala City, on Thursday night.

According to national police chief Gerson Olivia, investigators believe the officers were disarmed and could have been positioned face down on the ground before being riddled with bullets.

"This event is lamentable and I think it is a direct affront to the state as an institution," Adolfo Alarcon, a security analyst at the Centre for National and Economic Inquiry, said on Friday.

He said the killing was a message from traffickers "to the state and society that they do not fear them, that they will use all means necessary to cause chaos and reduce the population to a state of terror and defencelessness."

In a statement, President Otto Perez attributed the attack to drug gangs operating in the area with possible links to Mexican cartels such as the Sinaloa or Los Zetas organisations.

According to Perez, 12-13 people travelling in three vehicles were involved in the operation.

Perez said he had not ruled out the option of declaring a state of emergency in the Salcaja area.

Guatemala is experiencing a wave of violence that claims 16 victims a day, one of the highest rates in Latin America.

Authorities estimate that around 50 per cent of violent deaths in Guatemala are linked to the drug trade and gang violence.

Originally published as Guatemala reels from mass police slaying