Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon on Thursday confirmed 335 arrests were made in 72 hours as part of the police intervention in Medellin.
According to the Ministry of Defense, since the start of the intervention on Monday, the homicide rate has dropped by 27% and 19 rifles and 1,052 knifes have been confiscated. As part of the intervention an additional 1,139 police officers have been stationed in Medellin.
“We are going to have more full-time police officers [in Medellin] and with the support of 100 patrols, and with the assistance of [Medellin] Mayor Anibal Gaviria, we will increase our structural capacity to the level that we require to deal with increased crime,” said Pinzon.
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The minister also said that authorities had identified Districts 2, 3, 4 and 5 as crime hotspots.
“We know what is happening; we know who the gangs are, what motivates them and how many of them are facing us. The analysis of this intelligence will lead us to capture and bring to justice those responsible for the violence, because they will fall, just like all the heads of terrorist organisations, of drug trafficking groups, and of criminal gangs have fallen,” said Pinzon.
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Similar police interventions have also been planned for the city of Cali, and in 20 other locations throughout Colombia which have been identified for their high homicide rates, and as hotbeds for micro-trafficking and extortion. Pinzon announced the interventions will take place within the next two months, and declared that the operation will have important consequences for the communities through the impact they will have on serious crime rates.
Sources
- 335 personas fueron capturas en la intervención a Medellín (El Espectador)
- Continúa la intervención policial en Medellín (Ministerio de Defensa Nacional)
- Mindefensa anuncia plan para acabar ollas del microtráfico en el país (Caracol Radio)
