The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, advocated on Friday, August 19, during the recognition ceremony of General Herny Armando Sanabria as the new director of the National Police, for a police force in which there is equality between men and women and that guarantees the “human security“.
In line with equality, for the second time in the history of the institution, a woman was appointed deputy director, in this case the general Yackeline Navarro Ordonez, representing the 30,485 Colombian women who are part of the Police.
(See: ‘Let the banks finance production to create wealth’: Petro).
And President Petro asked the Ministry of Defense, on whom the Police in Colombia depends, to undertake some reforms so that equality between men and women is “daily practice” and underlined that “the role of women within the Police must be strengthened, protected, cared for” and in the same way they must “create reporting mechanisms for irregularities“.
In a speech lasting more than half an hour, the president said that during his government the Police will have a focus on “human security“, because the vision that the institution had before had led to a “fundamental breach of ethics and human rights“.
“We have measured security in casualties (…) The reports that are presented each month (…) were about the same thing and, nevertheless, deaths after deaths, casualties after more casualties, neutralizations after neutralizations. Many of the security indicators have not improved“, he expressed.
Along these lines, he stated that, on the contrary, “many regions of the country today are in the hands and under the control of large multi-crime organizations“, reason why you consider that “human security can build instruments that can shield Colombian society“.
(See: The future proposed by President Petro for Ecopetrol).
Among them he mentioned the decrease in hunger rates, increase the possibility that young people study or decriminalize some matters such as the cultivation of coca.
Likewise, Petro reopened a debate that arose in 2021 during the social outbreak and is that the Police move from the Ministry of Defense to the Ministry of the Interior, remembering that this theme “is under public discussion” and should also be discussed within the institution.
“What does that option mean that the Police cease to be a military body in some of its aspects? This is because the multi-crime organization is not a military organization as the guerrillas were, the insurgency“said the president.
Petro, along with his vice president, Francia Márquez.
During the act, which was originally going to be held on Tuesday, August 16 in conjunction with the Army, but which Petro postponed just an hour before it was held, alleging that he had to attend an important meeting and then assuring that he was suffering “a severe stomach ache“, the General Sanabria took command of the Police replacing General Jorge Luis Vargas.
“We know that the country expects the best from service and that we are part of an important transition in the country’s worldview. As an institution we will attend to and comply with human security and we will contribute to the protection of freedoms against fear, misery and dignity“, promised the new director of the Police.
(See: The tasks that Petro assigned to the new ministers of Justice and Science).
At the event, held at the Francisco de Paula de Santander General Police Cadet School in Bogotá, the officer stated that under his leadership the institution will have a multisectoral, comprehensive, contextualized and preventive vision to get a “lasting peace“.
“Three lines will frame this work: prevention, deterrence and when these are exhausted, action against crime and crime“, said the new director of the Police.
“I have taken command of the National Police of Colombia to maintain the necessary conditions in the exercise of public rights and freedoms; ensure that the inhabitants of Colombia live together in peace and also ensure compliance with the social duties of the State and individuals“, he stressed.
The creation of the Integrated Center of Information and Intelligence for the Construction of Peace, an instance of state articulation for the prevention of dynamics that affect the peace process.
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In addition to Petro, the ceremony was attended by the vice president, Francia Márquez; Defense Minister Iván Velásquez; and the mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, as well as the military leadership.
EFE
