Zone 8 (Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón) has a new police chief, General Víctor Herrera, who is expected to achieve better results than his predecessors and be able to achieve effective control that gives more peace to residents.

So far this year, there have been 2,174 murders in Zone 8, with Nueva Prosperina the most troubled district with 515 violent deaths. It also has a huge problem of criminals with short and long guns.

Namely, among the new strategies that the new commander would use would be to avoid the circulation of weapons with greater controls in the urban perimeter and roads, as well as reaction squads in problematic neighborhoods. He also called on the judiciary, the prosecutor’s office and the social rehabilitation system to work harder and better, because the joint work of each institution will yield more results from its function.

Citizens would like to believe that this is possible, so that they can go to work or to the park again without fear. But there are areas where this is no longer a part of reality and they prefer to lock themselves at home before the night begins. In the last elections, there were points where people were even afraid to go to the polls.

One of them is Durán, who is still asking for additional controls, because despite the fact that the canton has been under a state of emergency for several months, violence still fills his days. Even a group of policemen working on an operation over the weekend were fired upon from a vehicle by heavily armed miscreants, injuring one uniformed officer.

And the problem goes beyond Zone 8, there are other places that are also crying out for attention on this issue, such as Villamil Playas, where there have been at least five murders in the previous week and people are afraid to even say what they saw.

It is necessary for the state to fulfill its first task of security, because it affects all areas of people’s daily life. Actions and results, that’s what the population expects. (OR)