In a nationwide strategy dubbed “Free Colombia of Homicide” the national police reported the arrest of 293 people wanted for murder during the three weeks leading up to the presidential elections.
An additional 270 people were arrested for assault, while fifteen guns, 369 rounds of ammunition, and 10,690 grams of drugs were confiscated.
The operation is led by the national judicial police (DIJIN), with support from the 32 departments and seven metropolitan police commands in Colombia, and aims to track down 8,000 people with alleged links to violent crime.
The national police reported a 4% decline in violent deaths to date in 2010, as there have been 7,003 cases this year compared with 7,281 during the same period in 2009.