Colombia’s capital Bogota will ask the national government for an increase in police presence and tighter gun laws to improve security for the city’s citizens.
Bogota authorities, led by Mayor Samuel Moreno, met with Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera and the top of the national security forces to discuss the capital’s security issues.
Before the meeting, newspaper El Espectador reported that Moreno will ask for an increase in the number of policemen, prosecutors and judges to increase the number of arrested, prosecuted and sentenced criminals.
The Bogota mayor also asked the national authorities to promote a reform of current gun laws allowing only persons older than 25 to be allowed to carry firearms. “Young people between 18 and 25 are most affected by [guns] either as victims or perpetrators,” Moreno was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
Bogota, along with other major Colombian cities, has seen an increase in violent crime over the past two years.