The Minister of the Interior, Juan Zapata, and the Commander of the Police, Fausto Salinas, justified before the occasional Committee on Amendments of the National Assembly the Executive’s proposal to apply a partial reform to the Constitution that allows the complementary participation of the Armed Forces in the fight against organized crime.
The occasional table of the Assembly plans to present the report in a month for the knowledge of the plenary regarding the Government’s approach; However, the legislator Isabel Enríquez who chairs the commission says that there is still no clarity about the line that the report will have, since there will still be two weeks of appearances.
Fears, concerns and warnings due to the constitutional reform of the Executive on the participation of FF. AA. in the fight against organized crime
Minister Zapata revealed that in 2022 nearly 9,000 weapons were withdrawn by the Police in different operations and with the support of the Armed Forces., and that without a state of exception the FF. AA. They can only contribute to security tasks by controlling firearms, ammunition, explosives and accessories.
He clarified that work is already underway between the Police and the FF. AA., therefore, Zapata said that it is necessary for the two institutions to work as one, but always having a sense of complementarity and respect for human rights.
As a result of the complementary support of the FF. AA. to the Police in security measures, in 2022, in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Los Ríos, Guayas and Manabí, the increase in violent deaths of a total of 119% could be reduced to 59%, in Santo Domingo; and something similar happened in Esmeraldas, although in the case of Guayas it was less, but there was a reduction.
He clarified that in ordinary and exceptional cases the command of the operations remains with the National Police.
Zapata justified the intention of the partial reform of the Constitution, which allows the complementary participation of the Armed Forces in the fight against organized crime; since he affirmed that the dynamics that the country has faced in recent years is extreme criminal violence, organized crime plus common crime; therefore, the capacities of the State forces have to be complemented; For this reason, “the support of the Armed Forces for the work we do with the National Police is essential, facing these new dynamics of violence.”
The official explained to the assembly members that Ecuador cannot live in a permanent exceptionality, because the dynamics of violence in the country is daily and the complement of State institutions is needed to protect and defend the lives of Ecuadorians.
He insisted that the partial reform of the Constitution refers to cases of organized crime and that the participation of the Armed Forces will be in extraordinary cases and will be motivated by a report from the National Police that must be immediate, based on intelligence reports and will be the President of the Republic who defines this complementary support.
He also said that the response to organized crime should not be institutional but state; that is, of all the institutions that make up the State based on their powers, this does not mean that the Police are not in a position to confront organized crime. “We propose, it will be the assembly members who decide and it will be the Ecuadorian people who will determine which side we are placing ourselves on,” he warned.
The reports submitted by the Police to require the complementary participation of the Armed Forces must be immediate, depending on serious cases.
Zapata stated that today it is necessary to confront organized crime, otherwise in a few years the legacy that will be left to the country will be very critical.
The commander of the National Police, Fausto Salinas, indicated that the request to the President of the Republic for the complementary participation of the Armed Forces in matters of internal security is not new, because the concept of operations seeks success and a mass coup; that is, gather extraordinary capacities to deter. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
