How to change the public perception that Ecuador is an insecure country?

Coordinated work between government and local institutions, providing adequate logistics to the Police and long-term policies could be strategies to improve security in the country.

According to a survey by the CID Gallup consultancy, Ecuador is the Latin American country where its citizens feel most insecure on the streets at night.

64% of those surveyed answered that they did not feel safe, while 35% answered that they did.

For Colonel (sp) Carlos Blanco, who served as National Director of Public Security of the National Police and is a security adviser, Ecuador is one of the safest countries when compared to Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Argentina. .

He added that, with the exception of El Salvador, where criminal gangs are attacked, in the other Central American countries there is a lot of violence.

Ecuador, the least safe country in Latin America, according to a Gallup survey

The escalation of gang violence, drug trafficking and civil unrest affects these responses, the consultant said.

For Carolina Andrade, an analyst on security and intelligence issues, the survey measures the citizen’s perception of their level of security, but it goes hand in hand with what has happened.

He referred to the fact that 2022 ended with 25.6 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, which was a record level and places the country at the same level as Colombia and Mexico, making it one of the eight most violent countries in Latin America. .

The hitmen who killed Carlos Kada entered the farm with their faces covered and with clothing similar to that of the Police

He added that during the first 20 days of January 2023 there is no change in the trend of this homicide rate.

In fact, he specified that in Zone 8, which is made up of Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón, the number of homicides that occurred in 2022 has almost doubled.

Andrade indicated that if the public were observing that some forceful decision on violence and insecurity is being made, the level of perception would not be so high.

“You have to restrict your mobility at certain hours of the night, which has an impact on commercial and tourist activities in different cities. There is a kind of even self-confinement of a certain part of the population, who knows that by going out at those hours their life, their integrity could be compromised,” said Andrade.

In addition, it has not been seen that the announcements of resources have been translated into basic equipment of the Police.

National Police will incorporate 10,000 agents in 2023; The first phase will start this Friday the 13th.

The Government of Guillermo Lasso is carrying out a project to incorporate 30,000 police officers by 2025 and go from 50,000 to 80,000 agents.

The Minister of the Interior, Juan Zapata, pointed out that the police entity needs to increase its presence on the streets of the country and adjust to the technical norm that there are four agents for every thousand inhabitants. At the moment, there are approximately three police officers for every thousand inhabitants.

Blanco welcomes the increase in the number of police officers, which must be accompanied by logistics, such as vehicles, motorcycles, helicopters, weapons and technology.

The expert added that the municipalities can support so that the security rates are transformed into logistical support, but not that there is a municipal Police.

In addition, make coordination so that there is necessary lighting, maintain parks properly, clean, without weeds, and control abandoned spaces where people take refuge that cause people to distrust.

They release a university professor who had been kidnapped on the Durán-Yaguachi highway

Andrade added that it is constantly observed that in some provinces, such as Guayas and Esmeraldas, there is an intensification of violence, with the appearance of dismembered bodies, the fact that attacks are generated with the use of explosives and even the irruption of health centers. private.

This, he added, shows that this idea that these are issues focused on criminal organizations is increasingly spilling over into the spaces of the civilian population, which influences the level of perception.

Other elements may be civil unrest related to interpersonal violence and intrafamily violence, as a local security aspect motivated by alcohol and drug use.

Andrade suggested taking preventive actions and applying state policies and not governments in the security strategy. (YO)