Due to the large number of homicides that have been registered so far this year, the Attorney General of the Nation, Margarita Cabello, announced the holding of a public hearing in Barranquilla.
This will be developed in order to assess the panorama of insecurity in that city. Hand in hand with the authorities of the capital of the department of Atlántico, what is behind that wave of violence will be studied.
“I must announce that we will prepare a public hearing in the city of Barranquilla to verify, first hand, what is happening in security issues, above all, to contain the crime of homicide,” said the official.
“We want to listen to the citizens themselves about their concerns and work in solidarity with the authorities. We seek to know what is happening, find solutions and support the mayor and all the authorities, ”she added to the head of the Public Ministry.
Among the objectives of this determination is the search for solutions to deal with the problems that have frightened the community. According to data from the authorities, the most critical place is the municipality of Soledad, where, from the beginning of the year to January 25, 2023, 21 homicides have been recorded. This figure is nine more than that registered for the same period of 2021.
In fact, in order to deal with the situation in that area of the country, on Wednesday, January 25, 100 more uniformed members of the National Police arrived.
“Today we have 100 new uniformed policemen to accompany the municipality of Soledad, with the installation of a new situational command to deploy actions in areas considered red dots,” said General Jorge Urquijo, commander of the Barranquilla Police.
This week, in fact, the local press reported the death of two men in Soledad. Both people were victims of an attack with a firearm when they were on 56th Street with Carrera 4E in the Villa Sol neighborhood of Soledad.
The victims were identified as Carlos Andrés Palacio Garay, who died at the scene, and Armando Quintero Reyes, who lost his life in the care center where he was transported for surgery.
According to what the investigation highlights, they were attacked by armed men who were riding a motorcycle.
In August 2022, in fact, the Ombudsman’s Office stated that it was necessary to turn on alerts due to the number of cases of violence in that area of the country, since the cases were increasing worryingly.
“Following up on alert 037 of 2020 issued for Barranquilla, Soledad, Malambo, Galapa and Puerto Colombia, we have verified that the human rights situation in the metropolitan area of the capital of Atlántico has been deteriorating, which is reflected in the increase in indicators of violence. For example, the increase in homicides of 25% and extortions, with 128%”, said the Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo Assis.
“We are especially concerned about the situation in Barranquilla, Malambo and Soledad, because, although the alert contains a series of recommendations to prevent and mitigate the risk, in the follow-up carried out, it was possible to establish the precarious and insufficient institutional action, which It is reflected in the situation we are experiencing today: three drivers murdered in less than 8 days, transporter strikes, circulation of pamphlets, among others”, added Carlos Camargo.
In the midst of the announcement of the hearing, it was highlighted that 17 investigations are underway regarding the problem of land theft in the Atlantic. “We have exposed a criminal organization where inspectors, notaries, registry office officials and even the police participate,” Cabello explained. with Infobae