The governor of Meta, Juan Guillermo Zuluaga, assures that in his department extortions have increased fivefold. Several leaders from other departments who attended the Asobancaria convention, held a few days ago in Cartagena, denounced that the same thing is happening in their territories. At the same time, in a piece of news that seems like a tragicomedy, the case of a policeman who was caught receiving extortion money in Soacha, Cundinamarca, swallowed the bills to erase the evidence.
Last year in Colombia, 9,243 extortion complaints were registered, which represents an increase of 11% compared to 2021, when 8,342 cases were reported to the authorities. Although these data indicate an increase in crime in the country, there is great uncertainty about the true magnitude, due to massive underreporting.
Most extortion victims choose not to report, either due to fear of reprisals from criminals or a lack of trust in the authorities. This phenomenon is rarely mentioned, but widely recognized by all.
Extortion does not discriminate by income level. What used to be a crime practiced by the guerrillas, focused on big businessmen and ranchers, has become a generalized scourge carried out by common criminals in the market squares and neighborhood businesses. Even a modest arepas stand must pay a fee to criminals.
The complexity of extortion lies in the fact that, unlike other crimes such as theft, it cannot be combated solely with a larger police force, but rather requires a constant deployment of intelligence and the authorities approaching potential victims to generate the necessary confidence that allows a timely complaint.
The Gaula, which has proven experience in this matter, must be strengthened, and close collaboration must be established with the prison authorities to prevent extortion networks from continuing to be coordinated from the prisons. It is imperative to act immediately.