Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has announced a plan to add 100 patrolmen to the streets of Bogota to improve security, according to a news release from the National Police.
The announcement comes just a day after women, including the president’s wife, amassed in the center of the city to protest the brutal rape and murder of Rosa Elvira Cely, a single-mother from Bogota who sold sweets in the streets.
After a security council meeting Monday, Santos announced the plan, which includes adding the officers, as well as security cameras to parks and other areas where there are many pedestrians, according to the news release. Seven new police posts (CAIs) would also be created in the city, Santos said.
“They are going to construct some peripheral CAIs at several outposts in the city,” Santos said.
Santos also announced a new specialized unit to investigate crimes against women.
Elvira, 35, was attacked on May 23. She was discovered semi-naked in Bogota’s National Park after making a call to an emergency line from her mobile phone. She showed signs of being tortured and died four days later from her injuries.
A 44-year-old man, Javier Valasco, was arrested on Friday and accused of torturing and killing her.
A second suspect was also detained on Sunday.
