The Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe, will call for an assembly in Bogota of all relevant security forces and law enforcement authorities in Colombia to address the mounting issues of delinquency and urban violence.
According to the country´s Defense Ministry, the assembly, to be held on Wednesday, will involve Colombian mayors and govenors from all major cities as well as commanders of the National Police and the Armed Forces. The focus for the council will be the distressingly steady proliferation of urban crime throughout the country.
Uribe and his Defense Minister intend to discuss and "assess the situation of public safety" with regional authorities and security forces in order to make some pressing decisions regarding new stategies to ensure public safety and combat crime.
Urban violence is once again on the increase in Colombia with regional capitals such as the Antioquian metropolis of Medellin reporting a total of 1,300 homicides this year alone and the emergence of up to 380 new gangs across the city neighborhoods.
The Defense Minister stated that the idea of the assembly is to "frankly and openly identify what is being done well and what needs to be corrected."
