Crime, Feature, Law & Justice

Police creates special squad to fight crime by foreigners

Police creates special squad to fight crime by foreigners
Police detectives and a special tactics unit arrested 124 alleged criminals, most of whom were Venezuelan, at Punta Negra last week. Source: Andina

The proposal of a special police squad to focus on crimes committed by foreigners is raising criticism and the fear of increased xenophobia.

Interior minister Carlos Moran made the announcement this week, namely as a solution to the increase in violent crimes involving Venezuelan immigrants.  The squad of detectives is to work within the criminal division (Dirincri), with support from national intelligence and, when necessary, the tactical actions unit.  The team is to be headed by the police chiefs who led the successful operation at the beach resort of Punta Negra earlier this month, where 124 people were arrested, most of them from Venezuela.

“Thousands of Venezuelan immigrants have arrived in the country to seek a better future, but criminals have also arrived. These foreign criminals, those Venezuelans who have entered to commit crimes, have only two paths: leave the country or go to jail,” Moran said.

More than 200 Venezuelans have been deported since the government’s Safe Immigration Plan began last year, returned to Venezuela  in groups of 30 to 50 on Peruvian Air Force flights.

The special squad is a populist stunt, says journalist Augusto Alvarez Rodrich, using the Venezuelan situation to raise the government’s approval on fighting crime, while Glatzer Tuesta on Ideeleradio sees it as “a demagogic  act that can bring consequences of xenophobia.”

Certainly the press and social media, and candidates hoping to be elected to Congress this weekend, highlight crimes committed by Venezuelans, now referred to as “foreigners” to prevent charges of open discrimination.  The message is crimes by Venezuelans are more frequent and more violent than crimes by local criminals and the government has let the situation get out of hand.

Police statistics show, however, that crimes committed by foreigners account for only 1.8 percent of cases filed. In 2019, of a total of more than 730,000 cases, 12,982 involved foreigners.

But the criticism also comes from former Interior ministry officials and retired police chiefs, who believe the existing investigation squads and Interpol make it unnecessary to add a new team.

Former deputy minister of Public Safety, Ricardo Valdes, is certain the measure will contribute to xenophobia.

“Moran is associating the problem of criminality to one population and that is dangerous because it can create psychosocial situations — that Venezuelans are criminals and I need to protect you from them. Crimes are perceived by speciality, not by nationality,” Valdes told El Comercio daily.

Former Interior minister Fernando Rospigliosi agrees, adding that foreign criminals become allies with local peers, who teach them how to move about in their new territory.  Rospigliosi also noted that a new squad will superimpose others and just create more bureaucracy and rivalries.

According to Valdes, what the police need is better equipment. “They have no radios or computers and 40% of the vehicles are in disuse. That’s why the fight against crime doesn’t improve.” 

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