Homicide fell 21.2% in Bogotá: Ministry of Security

During the security council, held this Thursday, March 17 at the José Joaquín Vargas Park in the town of Barrios Unidos, led by Mayor Clauida López, it was announced that homicides have been reduced in the capital and that strategies are being defined to combat theft in the capital.

“Homicide in Bogotá, so far this year, has fallen by more than 20%, we are above the goal we set for the year: which was to reduce homicide by 15%. We want to reach the highest reduction in Bogota's history. Last year was painful and difficult, and Barrios Unidos is the champion, it is the town that has not had a single homicide throughout the year,” said the president.

Thus, in the company of the Secretary for Security, Coexistence and Justice, Aníbal Fernández de Soto, the junior mayor of Barrios Unidos, Antonio Carrillo and the district cabinet, the bourgomaster pondered that between January 1 and March 15, homicides showed a reduction of 21.2%, compared to the same period in 2021.

The cases rose from 198 to 156.

In this regard, Secretary Carrillo pondered that not a single violent death had been recorded in Barrios Unidos as of March 15. “The important message for the community of Barrios Unidos is that this is a town that generally has good safety indicators, although there are, as in any part of Bogotá, challenges.”

But it was not only homicide that was reduced, other high-impact crimes that decreased, between January 1 and March 15 of this year, compared to the same period in 2021, were: shoplifting that showed a reduction of 35.16%; in residential theft the reduction was 35.11%; bicycle theft was reduced by 25.23% and finally cell phone theft showed a reduction of 5.20%.

Extortion (-26.69%), sexual offences (-11.87%) and domestic violence (-10.51%) also fell.

Regarding theft, the secretary said that it is one of the crimes that most affects citizens, and he anticipated that, together with all the authorities, actions against the different forms of theft in the country's capital will be strengthened.

“We will continue to work with the police, we will continue to work with the mayor, especially with you (the community), around these fronts and these networks of care to team up and have a better safety outcome,” the secretary announced.

According to information from El Tiempo, the district administration is designing a strategy to combat theft with the aim of improving the capacity to react to any complaint. This would be announced in the next few days.

Likewise, the Ministry of Security also submitted a report cut to 14 March in which it reports that, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police, it carried out 175 inspections of commercial auto parts and mechanical workshops in Barrios Unidos, Los Mártires, Kennedy, Antonio Nariño, Suba, Engativá and Puente Aranda, in the development of the strategy to combat car theft and the crime of reception.

Operations in which more than 1,320 auto parts were seized and 7 cars recovered, with a price of 451 million pesos. In addition, 57 establishments, 24 preventive and voluntary closures were temporarily suspended and 13 people were captured.

It is worth recalling that at the beginning of the month the Mayor's Office of Bogotá had announced that, with a cut to February 28, homicides were reduced by 12.9%.

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