09:49 AM
The “security fronts” of Sincelejo, made up of men dressed in black, armed and riding motorcycles to supposedly improve security, will cease to exist. This was confirmed by a ruling by the Superintendency of Surveillance and Private Security published in the last few hours.
The entity explained that in the exercise of its legal functions of control, inspection and surveillance, it carried out an extraordinary inspection visit to the Private Surveillance and Security Company VIPERS LTDA on June 21.
There, the circumstances of the provision of private surveillance and security activities contained in the contract were reviewed. LP-001-2024 signed between the municipality of Sincelejo and the aforementioned company.
As a result, the Deputy Superintendent for Control (E) issued precautionary measure ordering the immediate suspension of patrol activities and in general of all those that involve the conservation and restoration of public order, because these are activities exclusively reserved for the public forces in the exercise of their constitutional mission.
To know more: In Sincelejo they created an armed security group to reinforce the city; there is controversy
On this issue, the Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, had made strong criticisms.lThe Mayor’s Office of Sincelejo must immediately dismantle this “security front”which brings us back to bygone eras of paramilitarism, precisely in a region that suffered its most serious impacts,” he explained.
For his part, the mayor of Sincelejo, Yahir Acuña, had defended the actions of this group, ensuring that This is a security-related collaboration between the police, the community and private companies.
“We are installing private security in our public parks, our construction sites, and to complement the issue of the perception of security, the perception of crime,” said the mayor.
The initiative worried human rights scholars
In an interview with Caracol Television, Juan David Díaz, human rights defender, had expressed concern about this phenomenon occurring in its territory.
“It is worrying that the security function is being delegated to private companies, knowing the precedents that have existed, precisely, by handing over security to private companies. This is where the door was opened to the so-called self-defense groups. I believe that with this what the administration and the National Police are saying is that they were not able to guarantee the security of the people of Sincelejo,” he said.
