Bolivia approves four security measures to combat drug trafficking and organised crime
The COSDEP approved a Security and Defence Act and three complementary measures. The Armed Forces may act on an exceptional basis without replacing the Police.
Bolivia strengthens its legal framework against narco-terrorism and transnational crime
Bolivia is advancing in the construction of a new legal structure to confront drug trafficking, transnational organised crime and narco-terrorist threats, according to eju.tv. The Council for Security of the Plurinational State (COSDEP), reactivated under the leadership of president Rodrigo Paz, approved four normative proposals at its fifth session.
The initiatives comprise a Security and Defence Act, a measure for the functioning of COSDEP itself, a framework for the State Intelligence System and a legal instrument that regulates the exceptional participation of the Armed Forces against transnational organised crime.
Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano Urenda emphasised that current threats have surpassed traditional criminal operating schemes. "Drug trafficking organisations can have weapons, logistics, financing, technology and international networks. When they resort to violent intimidation or attempt to control territories, the State faces threats that can acquire narco-terrorist characteristics," he stated.
Justiniano explained that the objective of the four proposals is to establish legal and institutional instruments that enhance the State's capacity to respond. "We must prepare the Armed Forces to contribute where appropriate, without replacing the Police, nor anticipating the approval of the normative instruments in process," he stressed.
Regarding military participation, the minister detailed that the Armed Forces possess capabilities in mobility, logistics, surveillance and territorial presence that could complement State action when circumstances require. "We are working so that they can contribute on an exceptional, temporary, complementary and controlled basis, always under civil authority within the Constitution, in coordination with the Police and with full respect for human rights," he said.
The proposal establishes that any intervention by the Armed Forces must be conducted under civil authority, with defined limits and inter-institutional coordination. The proposal does not enable actions outside the Constitution nor imply replacing the powers of the National Police.
Justiniano clarified that the four proposals are subject to the corresponding normative procedures. Their formal approval would enable consolidation of a more solid institutional framework to confront threats which, according to the Defence Ministry, exceed the response capacity of security institutions in their current configuration.
The strategy aims to strengthen coordination among State institutions and provide the country with effective legal tools to protect the population and national sovereignty.
Source: Google News BO — Crime