45. If security were your responsibility, what would you do?
Well, first talk to the people who know and have them make a project. We know that a large part of the security problems lie in the police force, that there are education, training and corruption problems. This is a serious problem, but there are experts in security.
Give funds to the National Public Security Program; enough money, honest and trained human resources in the law and justice enforcement agencies and also in the police corps, modernize the communication systems and have advanced research and intelligence mechanisms with a national database in order to facilitate the coordination of actions. Amend, expand and upgrade the penitentiary system.
I would say that experts should be called, to work with national and other nationality experts, and let them be in charge of security because conflicts between security institutions do not foster safety and security.
Security should have a very important and defined mandate with trained people. If you realize, suddenly, they have been arresting all the kidnapping gangs, well because the person doing it knows how to do it, so let them work, support them.
Then we hear that perhaps the policemen’s salary is little, that they do not make enough money and then they commit crimes.
I believe that there should be a fight against internal corruption, improve the existing police systems, and let those that know how, operate the safety and security systems.
I believe that several kidnappers have been arrested. There are figures. We even hear a little bit less about this and we constantly see that this is what they have to do and also to make sure that there are no innocent people in jail, not even because of minor offenses and make sure that real criminals are behind bars. We have to reform these things because there are approximately 160 thousand people in jail and many, we hear that 15 or 20 per cent may be innocent people.
What examples can we find? Colombia, I was told that in Bogotá there has been only one person kidnapped this year and zero in Cali and well this is Colombia. In El Salvador they were coming out of a revolution, of a civil war and nevertheless they organized, reached an agreement, took the appropriate measures, improved the police corps and I believe that there has been a major improvement in security and safety in El Salvador.
In New York, what Mayor Giuliani did was after they attacked the series problems in the police force itself as it had very high corruption levels. Then the structures have to be cleaned and act efficiently and with knowledge.
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