PF offers support to Ecuador to track criminal factions

Representatives of police forces from 16 Latin American countries met this Friday (12), via videoconference, to discuss ways out of the wave of violence that is plaguing Ecuador. The extraordinary meeting of the Police Community of the Americas, Ameripol, was called by the director general of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues, who is also executive secretary of the international entity that brings together police corporations on the continent.

The public security crisis in Ecuador, which has lasted for some years, is the result of activities of criminal drug trafficking factions. Around 13 people have died in recent days, amid riots, kidnappings and clashes.

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The meeting participants approved the forwarding of proposals that include the exchange of intelligence information to combat organized crime, the provision of intelligence equipment, support in the identification of prisoners in the Ecuadorian penitentiary system and the offering of crime decapitalization courses organized. This last topic is one of the specialties of the Brazilian PF. All countries will forward police cooperation proposals to the Ameripol executive secretariat, which will formalize the sending to Ecuador by this Saturday (13).

The police forces that participated in the Ameripol meeting are: Gendarmerie Argentina; Federal Police of Brazil; Ecuador National Police; Bolivian Police; CICPC/Venezuela; Uruguayan National Police; Colombian National Police; National Police of Peru; Chilean carabineros; Investigations Police (PDI) of Chile; Haiti National Police; National Police of the Dominican Republic; Honduras National Police; Costa Rica Public Force; Argentine Federal Police; National Police of Paraguay; Belize National Police and Guatemala National Police.

Office in Ecuador

One of the topics discussed, with the participation of the Minister of the Interior of Ecuador, Monica Palencia, was the creation of a Brazilian PF attaché in the Andean country. The idea, therefore, is that the PF works in close cooperation with the country's police forces.

In addition to general director Andrei Rodrigues, of the PF, the meeting was attended by the vice-president of Interpol for the Americas, Valdecy Urquiza; in addition to Fábio Mertens, general coordinator of police cooperation. Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Special Advisory Office of the Presidency of the Republic were also present.

The Treaty establishing the Police Community of America (Ameripol) is recent. It was signed in November last year, in Brasília. The entity, whose headquarters are in Bogotá (Colombia), serves as a mechanism for cooperation and exchange of information between police and security forces in the countries of the Americas.