Colombia’s Congress president said Tuesday he is seeking to pass a bill which gives police more power to effectively combat drug trafficking organizations.
Senator Roy Barreras met with President Juan Manuel Santos and fellow-U Party lawmakers to discuss the initiative which aims to provide legal protection for police and their tactics in the fight against organizations the government calls “bandas criminales” or BaCrim.”
The Congress President, author of the legal framework for peace, said that at the moment police do not have protection under International Humanitarian Law if they go on the offensive against the neo-paramilitary and other drug trafficking organizations.
According to the lawmaker, the army only has the tools to take offensive actions against leftist rebel groups, but police lack the possibilities of carry out offensives against powerful neo-paramilitary groups.
“All the police can do is surround the place and wait until they can capture (the criminals),” said Barreras.
Meetings will be held with the Minister of Defense, the Director of Police and the Prosecutor General to draw up a bill which will offer police the legal tools to more effectively combat the drug traffickers.
Interior Minister, Federico Renjifo, announced that he will push Congress to approve the bill.