Not a single Medellin student so far has signed up to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's controversial cash-for-intelligence scheme, which the head of state proposed at the end of January.
Uribe proposed that some 1,000 students in Medellin act as informants for the army, in an attempt to curb ongoing violence in the city.
Some 80 Medellin residents have reportedly joined the scheme, but they are all shop-keepers and housewives, according to Caracol Radio.
A police committe is analyzing how much participants will be paid for their participation in the program. Police chief Oscar Naranjo previously said that payments would range between $50 and $2,500.
Defense Minister Gabriel Silva said that due to the incidence of violence in Santa Marta, a similar program may be implemented in the Caribbean city.
Silva rejects criticism that the government is putting the lives of these civilians at risk by asking them to "snitch" on groups which are not afraid to use violence.
Uribe's proposal to pay Medellin students a monthly stipend for providing intelligence to the military caused controversy among political commentators.
tomtom33
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... The lives of everyone living in Medellín are at risk. Community involvement in helping law enforcement can and will reduce that risk for everyone. |
cripancho
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... How can helping corrupt law enforcement reduce the risk? Community involvement is the key, but without being fearful of death threats from the corrupt government officials or private AUC Paramilitary gangs that kill. Who can you trust? In Colombia trust and the truth are difficult issues that have to be worked out so that one day trust and honesty will be the norm. Bribing kids teaches them that they can buy there way out of problems. |
tomtom33
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... Oh I see. We just throw our hands in the air and give up. I choose to try to work with what we have hoping that the institutions and situation will both improve. |
cripancho
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... Never give up , but how about increasing the wages of the National Police and prosocuting those ones who wish to be corrupt. I have witnessed some Colombian friends pay bribes to the cops in Cartagena, and another friend recived marajuana that was conficated by the cops in Medellin, so just hoping will not work. We all know that the majority of crime in Colombia comes from the "War on Drugs". This is a social problem not a military police issue. |
