The Maldonado Police Union (Sipolma) announced that it will file a criminal complaint against the Ministry of the Interior alleging that they force police officers to use expired bulletproof vests, upon detecting that there are 200 expired bulletproof vests.
“Since 2020, when complaints began to be filed with the Ministry of the Interior and the National Directorate of Human Resources, upon verifying many public officials, police officers, working with expired vests, with clothing that is not in good condition,” said Adela Larrosa, president of the police union of that department.
He added that currently they have confirmed again that around 200 vests are out of date and that they are using them on the street “because that is what they have to work with.”
“Now we are going to point to a criminal complaint. We have made complaints at the administrative level, with the Directorate of Human Rights, which in its report assents to the reason that the physical integrity of police officers is being endangered. We understand that the Ministry of the Interior is at fault. There is an omission, therefore, based on the Penal Code, which stipulates in article 167 what the Ministry of the Interior is committing as a crime, we are going to file the criminal complaint,” explained Nadia Alfonso, union lawyer.
On the other hand, the lawyer said that there are officials who fear that they will take photos of their bulletproof vests “for fear of the attitude that the portfolio may take.”
