39 road accidents have been registered so far in December in the Portuguesa state, resulting in a balance of three deaths and 56 injuries and exceeding the figures for this type of accident obtained during the same 2021 season.
Luis Medina, secretary of Citizen Security of the region, offered a partial balance of the Safe Christmas 2022 Device at a press conference, warning of a rise in road accidents, which for the same date last year was 30 cases with 48 injured.
In the company of directors of the citizen security forces that live in Portuguesa, Medina asked citizens for greater awareness and caution, warning that the traffic accident rate is related “in a very high percentage” to reckless driving and the ingestion of alcoholic drinks.
Motorcycle accidents are prevalent
Medina accused that more than 70% of the traffic accidents registered so far in Portuguesa have involved motorized units.
Therefore, he urged motorcycle drivers to use a safety helmet and to respect the signs and rules of land traffic, in order to mitigate the risks and contribute to the protection of both their own physical integrity and that of drivers and pedestrians.
He emphasized the need to drive cautiously, without speeding and free from the effects of alcoholic beverages or other substances.
Submersion deaths on the rise
According to the Secretary of Citizen Security in Portuguesa, this Christmas season there is also an increase in deaths by immersion in the entity, compared to December last year.
He indicated that in 2021 there was only one death by immersion and currently three deaths are counted: one in the waters of the Portuguesa River, one in the Guanare River and another in the La Coromoto Reservoir.
Falling crime rate
The operational balance of Safe Christmas 2022 in Portuguesa shows a decrease in the crime rate in the period between December 1 and 27.
Medina specified that the homicide rate shows a downward trend, with three events of this type compared to the nine that occurred in 2021, while crimes such as extortion and kidnapping remain at zero.
In addition, he pointed out that this month 303 people have been arrested in Portuguesa for different crimes, three Structured Organized Crime Groups have been dismantled, nine firearms have been seized, as well as 2 kilos 840 grams of different types of drugs.
Reinforcement of the Safe Christmas plan
With a greater presence of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), the Safe Christmas Device has been reinforced for a week in Acarigua, in order to strengthen crime prevention and provide greater security to those who circulate through centers and commercial areas of the city.
“The GNB joined us to increase the presence of civil and military officials throughout the central area of Acarigua and thus prevent any criminal act,” reported David Osal, director of the Police Coordination Center number 2 of the Páez municipality.
The police chief assured that so far this Christmas season there have been no criminal actions in the perimeter of the center of Acarigua, neither in shops nor at the citizen level, a fact that he attributed to the strong police presence that remains in the area. «day, morning, afternoon, night and early morning».
He said that the same strategy is applied in some residential sectors of the city, including Durigua, Páez, Gonzalo Barrios and in the Simón Bolívar Housing Complex, as well as in communities of the Payara parish.
