Changes in the security model of the Police in Colombia – Crimes – Justice



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A controversy broke out in Bogotá at the end of September due to the announcement that the Traffic Police would be dismantled so that the uniformed men could dedicate themselves to surveillance.

In his replacement, he would return to the figure of civil agents for the control of the roads in the capital. What is clear is that this measure should be applied at the national level within the Framework Policy for Coexistence and Citizen Security, launched at the end of last year by President Iván Duque.

(You can read: Why is the return of civil traffic officers not convincing?)

There are 20 parameters or lines that support this policy that is founded “in the construction of a culture of legality, respect for democratic values and to the authorities, as a basis for coexistence and security ”.

Despite the pandemic, the Minister of Defense confirmed that important progress has been made in what will be the basis of security for Colombians, in which the Police play a leading role.

(For context, you are surely interested in reading: The changes brought about by Duque’s new Citizen Security policy)

The objective of this policy is to achieve a reduction in high-impact crimes that affect citizens: homicides and theft in all its forms, as a priority.

“In order to promote the implementation of the framework policy under its multidimensional vision, jointly between the Ministries of Defense and the Interior, as well as the National Planning Department and the National Police, 12 socialization workshops have been held with the participation of mayors, governors and their work teams to promote that their lines of action are included in the comprehensive plans for security and citizen coexistence”Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo told EL TIEMPO.

(We suggest you read: This will be the ‘tumble’ in the National Police to improve surveillance)

The workshops, according to Trujillo, were held in Medellín, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Casanare, Córdoba, Eje Cafetero, Norte de Santander, Huila and Santander and will be maintained constantly in other areas of the country.

There are five relevant advances in the Security and Coexistence Policy that have been achieved. The change in the surveillance model and the figure of the Police officer, the most striking.

Twelve socialization workshops have been held with the participation of mayors, governors and their work teams to promote that their lines of action are included in the plans

Quadrants of jurisdiction

After 10 years of the implementation of the surveillance model by quadrants, the system is restructured to give way to the quadrants of jurisdiction.

These will not have a specific administrative area, but will be present where “the problem is located”, according to General Jorge Luis Vargas, and will be divided into quadrants of reaction (prevention and control of crime), neighborhood (community activities) and mixed.

(We explain: National Police confirms changes in the citizen security model)

Among other things, surveillance with single patrols (one uniform per motorcycle) is envisaged within a crime prevention model. Technology will be vital to design service plans, learn about staff news and georeference crime.

In addition, graduated shifts will be established according to the hours of the day when the most crimes are registered in certain sectors. Pilots of the strategy are already being implemented in Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Pereira and Quindío by General Vargas, Director of Citizen Security of the Police.

Police Officer Category

With a reform to the police career statute, a more robust service base plant will be created.

The change, which will be presented in a bill, aims to the creation of the category of Police officers, who will be excluded from the promotion career within the institution.

Agents would not upgrade, but would have other welfare prerogatives (they will not be transferred) and economic (they will have service bonuses).

(We suggest you read the following interview: ‘I would like to have the most honest policemen, but we are human’)

The objective of this strategy is to recover the figure of the policeman on the block or neighborhood. According to the director of the institution, General Óscar Atehortúa, this action is essential to professionalize the surveillance police service and reestablish the number of members of the institution who have retired in recent years due to pronouncements from the jurisdiction administrative litigation and guarantee the incorporation of uniformed personnel to make up for the ordinary decrease that occurs annually.

More and new equipment

The approval of projects to strengthen the service of agents through technological tools has been prioritized. Under the coordination of the Ministry of Defense, Police commanders have developed comprehensive citizen security plans, of which 72 are aimed at the acquisition of body cameras; 51 to that of unmanned aerial systems; 56 mobile biometric captor equipment; 721 to vehicles; 378 to construction, maintenance or rental of infrastructure.

And to strengthen the fight against extortion, the acquisition of two radiolocation and scanning equipment was approved – in a first phase for 2020 – for a value of 5,400 million pesos, which will be used for operations by the Police Gaula.

(In other topics: Raid against extortionists; those of the false commission fell)

Obtaining the equipment was established in the technical committee of the Integrated Emergency and Security System, in which the projects of the National Fund for Citizen Security and Coexistence were evaluated.

Ballistic footprint

The decree is ready for the creation of the National Ballistic Footprint Identification Registry and the registration of all firearms that have been protected at any time, with possession, bearing and special permits.

The registry would work through the Civil Ballistic Footprint Information System (SIHBC) of the National Police. This registry will optimize the investigative work of the Prosecutor’s Office to quickly trace the weapons involved in criminal acts, through the use of cutting-edge technology.

(We recommend reading: The system that solves murders with ‘fingerprint’ of bullets)

The Judicial Police, Dijín, has already implemented Sucoba, a ‘software’ designed by a group of engineers from the Prosecutor’s Office in 2010 and which came into operation in March 2018.

The program has the ability to set up a database that allows capturing, processing, correlating and storing through images the ballistic footprint of projectiles, shells fired and struck by firearms.

Safety tip

A decree, still pending, proposes the formation of the National Council for Citizen Coexistence and Security, which will be headed by the President of the Republic, and will be in charge of evaluating and monitoring the implementation of the citizen security policy.

The commission, which is expected to begin meeting next month, will also be made up of three experts from non-governmental entities delegated by Asocapitales, the National Federation of Departments and the Colombian Federation of Municipalities.

Among other things, the security policy gives free rein to the creation of the Center for applied investigation against crime, presented by the elite body of the Police for a value of $ 1,850,918 million pesos, with which it is expected to strengthen investigative capacities against criminal organizations that affect social leaders.

More police in the places where the crime is detected

The Director of Citizen Security of the Police, General Jorge Luis Vargas, in an interview with EL TIEMPO referred to the progress made in the implementation of the pilots on the security issue and its scope.

What changes will occur in the surveillance model?

This new dynamic in the provision of the service will fulfill two main objectives: to be attentive and close to the citizen and to give a forceful response to the crime. On the instructions of our general director, my general Óscar Atehortúa, we want to recover the figure of the neighborhood police, of the block. That police close to the community, who knows their problems and is attentive to solving them. Be a community police officer.

The objective is to be more efficient in responding to citizen calls, through line 123, and to dismantle the networks dedicated to theft, micro-trafficking and homicides, among other crimes.

Since when have the pilots been running?

We began parallel to the pandemic with the aim of better targeting efforts, to have more police officers at specific times.

That is one of the momentous changes..

Exactly, we seek to have more police officers at certain times. For example, if it is known that between 4 in the afternoon and 7 at night thefts are registered from people in a certain place, it is at that point where we will concentrate with intelligence teams, to achieve a prosecution, and with the staff to prevent such thefts. In addition, of the intolerance situations that can be registered as fights, and behaviors contrary to coexistence.

Have these pilots worked where they have been implemented?

Where they are implemented there is better coexistence and crime reduction.

ALICIA LILIANA MÉNDEZ
JUSTICE
On twitter: @JusticiaET
@AyitoMendez



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