Experts criticise "Safe Borders 2.0" plan and call for state of emergency in Bolivia
Security specialists question the government's plan against organised crime and propose a state of emergency with concrete logistical resources.
"Safe Borders 2.0" plan comes under fire from security experts
According to lapatria.bo, security experts questioned on Sunday 25 October the "Safe Borders 2.0" plan launched by the Bolivian Government, and raised the need to declare a state of emergency to confront organised crime comprehensively. The government initiative was presented the previous Wednesday, in response to a new escalation of violence in the department of Santa Cruz.
Former Government Minister Guido Nayar described the plan as a "temporary and isolated" measure. In statements to Erbol, Nayar argued that security must be treated as a permanent matter and not as a response to circumstantial conditions. He suggested resorting to international cooperation to design an integral strategy, and noted that a state of emergency in security matters would allow access to the economic and logistical resources necessary to establish barracks and equipped operational bases.
For his part, retired police colonel Juan Manuel Quinteros, founding member of the Special Force Against Drug Trafficking (Felcn), warned in the programme La Tarde en Directo that public exposure of police strategies undermines the operational work of the institution. According to Quinteros, anticipating the plans provides information to criminal gangs so that they can take precautions before operations are carried out.
Given this situation, the former police officer recommended that the Police hold press conferences only when operations have already concluded and there are concrete results to communicate. This stance seeks to preserve the effectiveness of actions against organised crime.
Both specialists agreed that security strategies cannot be managed with "patches" or respond to political ends. The declaration of a state of emergency, they indicated, would equip the State with the institutional and budgetary tools to tackle the problem in a sustained manner.
Source: Google News BO — Crime