Medellin will receive 30 billion pesos (US$15 million) from Colombia’s
national authorities to improve the security situation. So far in 2009,
716 people were murdered in the country’s second biggest city.
The Municipality of Medellin and the National Police signed an agreement to improve the structure of the security forces in the city, Secretary of the Government, Jesus Maria Ramirez, announced Wednesday during the city’s Week of Disarmament.
The authorities plan to modernize the surveillance camera system and to increase the manpower of the police by at least 20 per cent, El Colombiano reported Thursday.
“We also want to establish small police station or substation in every barrio of Medellin”, Ramirez added. “We understand that the Community Police is fundamental to coexistence and security in the neighborhood.”
Between January and April this year, 512 people were assassinated in
Medellin. This was a 66 percent rise compared to the same period last
year. Since then some 200 more murders took place.