During the first two weeks of validity, 392 patrols have been carried out, 158 officers and 3,820 volunteers from the Armed Forces have been employed.
That criminal acts in Sucumbíos have been reduced by 25% since the declaration of the state of exception. This was stated by uniformed members of the Police and Armed Forces during a joint press conference.
The commander of the Jungle 19 Napo Brigade, Milton Rodríguez, considers that the joint patrols carried out in all the cantons of the province at any time of the day and night have allowed crime to withdraw and citizens feel safer.
“We have seen that the levels of crime have fallen significantly, especially in the central part of the city of Nueva Loja, where the different assaults, smashing, car theft and other crimes were targeted,” said the uniformed officer.
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Without giving numbers, the military commander highlighted the seizure of artisanal weapons and small caliber weapons, substances subject to control, ammunition, explosives and fuels.
During the first two weeks of the state of emergency, 392 patrols have been carried out, 158 officers, 3,820 volunteers from the Armed Forces and 962 members of the National Police have been employed, Rodríguez said.
However, the joint operations between the Armed Forces and the National Police have not succeeded in dismantling any criminal gang dedicated to assaults, robberies and hitmen in the province of Sucumbíos, “We have not had that action, we have simply caught people carrying weapons, but not they have identified criminal gangs, ”said Colonel Rodríguez.
Lieutenant Colonel Cristian Rengifo, chief of the Sucumbíos Judicial Police, mentioned that the greatest criminal burden is found in the Lago Agrio canton, Nueva Loja city, which is why they concentrate the largest number of patrols and controls in that sector.
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“As a result of an analysis, we have delimited and made an adequate assessment for the control, where the greatest crime burden is in the city of Nueva Loja,” said the head of the Sucumbíos Judicial Police.
Carlos Ramírez, head of the ECU911 Nueva Loja Operational Center, assured that they have noticed a decrease in emergency calls for issues related to citizen security, before the emergency they received 698 calls, now they have dropped to 623, which represents 10% less .
Sucumbíos is the only province in the Amazon that was included in the state of exception due to high levels of insecurity. (I)
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