Caracas, Venezuela ? President Hugo Chavez moved to take control of the Caracas police force Saturday, but opponents of the leftist leader rejected the maneuver as a threat to talks on resolving the country’s deepening and violent political crisis.

Chavez’s Deputy Citizen Security Minister Alcides Rondon said the government was taking “exceptional and provisional” command of the 9,000-strong police force to end a 1 1/2-month dispute between officers. He cited laws that allow government intervention in times of crisis.

But the move only heightened political tensions in Venezuela, a major U.S. oil supplier. Chavez’s opponents say he must step down, and both sides have repeatedly had mass protests in the capital.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said that city police would share their duties with the National Guard, but opposition mayors and state governors with jurisdiction over parts of Caracas vowed to ignore an army order for “mixed” police patrols.

After Chavez moved to take control of the capital city’s police Saturday, opponents and the ousted police chief said they would try to block the takeover, and the outcome of the Chavez maneuver was not certain.