Through Decree 163 of 2023, the Municipal Administration of Neiva established a series of measures, with which it is intended to attack crime and reduce the number of accidents in the capital of Huila. The decree with the restrictive measures and their respective exceptions enters into force on March 1 and will run until December 31, 2023.
Taking into account the high numbers of criminal acts and the high accident rate, especially among motorcyclists, the president of Neiva issued Decree 163 of 2023
The purpose is to deal with the insecurity that has been affecting Neivans. The decree contemplates three aspects considered key to reduce not only the number of insecurity, but also that of traffic accidents in the municipality.
“Today, security is everyone’s business. We understand the concern that citizens have for the acts of insecurity that affect their environment and it is precisely because of what is happening that we need everyone to contribute our grain of sand,” said the president while announcing the measures.
“These are security reasons and to avoid traffic accidents, we are going to take care of life, the human being as such. The entire decree goes until December 31 of this year,” said the mayor of Neiva.
The main measures
As the president himself had already anticipated, the circulation of motorcycles with a male grill in the downtown area is prohibited, every day of the week. This measure corresponds to the area from Fifth Street (5) to Twelfth Street (12), in the direction from south to north, and from Primera H (1H) to Seventh (7) in the direction from west to east, from the Municipality of Neiva.
As an additional measure for motorcyclists, the circulation of motorcycles in the urban area of the municipality of Neiva is prohibited, from 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following day, with the exception of the public force, security agencies, the police, traffic authorities and relief and health agencies.
In the exceptions, the motorcycles of the educational centers are also contemplated, as long as the person is in practice with the teacher. Students enrolled in night shifts, are exempt, presenting the respective card of the study center, be it a university, institute or validation center.
A neuralgic point
Taking into account the high incidence of minors in acts against coexistence and security, the decree establishes the prohibition of movement of minors between 10 pm and 5 am the following day. Measure that will be in force until December 31 of this year. Minors may not be in public or open spaces.
Minors who are studying are excepted, who must present the respective card of the study center and minors who are in said establishments, in fortuitous cases related to health, family or other situations that are validated by their parents, guardians or legal representatives.
Fines and penalties
Violators of these measures will be fined and the vehicles will be immobilized. In the case of minors who are caught in the streets at the time set in the decree, they will be taken to the Álvaro Sánchez Silva Covered Coliseum, as far as the parents or guardians must go.
The motorcycle driver who violates the provisions established in Arts. 1 and 2 of Decree 163 of 2023, will be sanctioned with a fine equivalent to fifteen legal daily minimum wages in force, and, in addition, the vehicle will be Immobilized, in accordance with the provisions of literal C14 of Art. 131 of Law 769 of 2002 modified by Art. 21 of Law 1383 of 2010.
The affected
Alberto Mora, from the workers’ motorcycle association, argued that they are motorcyclists, but at the same time workers because of unemployment, he considers the daytime restriction measure absurd and incidentally argued:
“If with the measure there were no more robberies, it would be very good, but based on the experience of the same measure on another occasion, what becomes arbitrary. It is nothing more than attacking the motorcycle workers due to pressure from the transport companies that, incidentally, provide a bad service, ”he said.
Figures- box
According to figures from the Crime Observatory, theft from persons between January and November 2021 reported 149 cases, while today in that same period, but in what corresponds to 2022, there were 671 cases, which shows a percentage variation of 350%.
Theft from businesses has also presented a high rate with a percentage variation of 783% and theft from residences a variation of 67% between 2021 and 2022. The highest incidence of these crimes occurred in commune four where the downtown of the city.