The murder of Daniel Barrientosthe bus driver The slaughter that, a month after retiring and while doing his job, he was shot during a criminal act, it was not an isolated case. It was not something rare or unusual, as we have heard. It was a sample of how we Argentines live today. Of how unprotected we are in the face of a growing crime. The unsafety, which is one of the problems that affects and worries us the most, is not a sensation. According to him National Criminal Information Systemin 2021 more than 2,000 were committed intentional homicides in the country. In addition, more than 360,000 robberies and more than 5,300 robberies aggravated by injury or death were registered.
In the Buenos Aires provinceaccording to data from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in 2021 the robbery homicides increased 55% compared to 2020, the sexual abuse 25% and the scams 77%. In rosary beadshe drug trafficking Innocent lives continue to be claimed: last year there was a record number of murders for as long as there are statistics, and so far in 2023 there are already more than 80 homicides.
These are not just numbers. It is the restlessness of a mother every time one of her children goes out into the street. It is the fear of waiting for the bus at a stop, be it day or night. It is the need for families to organize themselves in the neighborhoods to put neighborhood alarms and try to take care of each other because they know that they cannot count on the State.
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After three years it is evident that security is not a priority for the government. Today there is no active policy of Fight against crime in Argentina. Ideology has put a cloak of darkness on that fight. And when the State runs away, the violent and the mafias advance. And the crime grows.
In 2023 we will have the opportunity to choose between a political space that puts the ideology above the concerns of the people and who seriously denies reality, and another who shares the agenda of the Argentines and works to solve the problems. Because it is not true that security has no solution. It is difficult and it takes time, but with political determination an answer can be given.
As I say this, I am well aware that you cannot wait a single day. You cannot wait 8 months for another government to take office. Answers are needed now. That is why my security proposals and plans are available to the government.
These plans are the result of experience, of the successes and mistakes that I had as a governor of the province of Buenos Aires. Between 2015 and 2019 we reduced intentional homicides by 36%, robbery and auto theft by 16%, and kidnappings for extortion by 90%. We demolished 150 drug bunkers. All this with the support of our security forces, which implied a huge investment in equipment, training and modernization, and a clear political decision to advance transparency, supporting the police who do their job well and separating those who don’t: more than 13,000 officers were removed.
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There is no doubt that it can. Just as we did in the province, I propose to promote a profound transformation at the national level that allows us to combat the mafias and to crime. I propose leaving ideology aside, putting security as a priority, including specialists in the field at the work table, designing a comprehensive plan and putting it into operation.
Safety starts at borders and that is why efforts must be concentrated on protecting and defending our territory from the mafias. Structural reforms must also be carried out in each province and at the national level so that people once again believe in an integral and transparent police force.
In the same way, with clear objectives and guidelines, which are the result of consensus, it is necessary to include in the budget security equipment and infrastructure, the professionalization of the forces and their modernization, the fight against mafias, the promotion of coordination mechanisms between the different national and provincial police forces, and the promotion of international security cooperation.
With that direction, I have no doubt that we can have a significant impact in reducing crime and violence. We Argentines do not have to resign ourselves to living in fear. There is a way out. Let’s start it.
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