The installation of bars on pedestrian walkways, horseshoes and even citadel streets became a boom last year in Guayaquil, fueled by a surge in organized crime that has catapulted Ecuador to eleventh place among the world’s most violent countries, according to the 2023 Global Organized Crime Index.
The government declared an internal armed conflict on January 9 and operations and actions made it possible to go from 28 daily murders to 6, as revealed on the 19th of this month by government minister Mónica Palencia. Citizens who have resorted to fencing off their sectors in Guayaquil believe it is an effective security measure. In the Municipality, they believe that there should be order.
There is a six month deadline to legalize bars in Guayaquil
In this context, and outside of the security plans implemented at the national and local levels, a decree came into force to regulate the fences installed and to issue permits for new ones in Guayaquil, where an estimated 195 such fences have been installed.
The country’s streets are public and their closure has caused mobility problems, even for humanitarian agencies, authorities say, but it is also a reality that crime has disturbed residents to the point that they have organized themselves to invest in methods that would offer some peace of mind in the face of the impossibility of permanent the presence of public power.
The regulation that regulates the installation of bars in Guayaquil: these are ten doubts about the regulations
Today, the Council regulates this and gives six months, ending in July, to regulate them. If the procedure is not initiated within this period, the bars will be uninstalled, and the costs and fines will be borne by individuals or groups of violators. Sectors interested in installing fences must comply with the provisions of the ordinance to obtain a permit.
Once the regulation is published in the official register, the municipality of Guayaquil should launch a campaign to spread information and inform the community that wants to be equipped with security elements and that is interested in complying with the regulation with absolute certainty. (OR)
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.
