The president of Colombia, Iván Duque , announced this Sunday a series of changes in the Ministry of Defense and the National Police to strengthen its Human Rights policy amid the controversy over the actions of the security forces during the national strike that began six weeks ago. «Today we announce 10 lines of action with which we deepen the modernization of the Ministry of Defense and the comprehensive transformation of our National Police. In this process, we strengthen Human Rights policy and raise standards in the provision of service to citizens, ”explained Duque through a thread published on social networks.
Specifically, it has announced a new “disciplinary statute” for the Police that seeks to “achieve excellence.” «We will restructure the General Inspectorate and create a new system to receive complaints and reports. We will also improve the conditions of the members of the institution, “he said.
«We will strengthen the education and training of their men and women. We will implement professional standards on issues such as the use of force, Human Rights, citizen service and police procedures ”, he added.
Likewise, the protocols for the use of force will be reviewed and “we will give them”. «We will file a bill for the use and trade of non-lethal weapons in Colombia. We will also issue a decree that regulates traumatic weapons in the coming days, ”he indicated, in a veiled reference to the incident on May 28, in which civilians armed with this type of weapon fired at protesters in Cali due to the passivity of the police.
In addition, the Police “will adopt a blue uniform, aligning itself with international standards of Police forces, reinforcing their civil nature,” a color that “conveys empathy, courtesy, tranquility and trust for the citizenry.”
«The Ministry of Defense will be renamed the Ministry of National Defense and Citizen Security. The Vice Ministry of Defense Policies and Citizen Security and the Education Directorate of the National Police will be created to strengthen professional programs of the highest quality, “he added.
On April 28, an indefinite strike began against the government of President Iván Duque, known as the national strike, to force the withdrawal of a tax reform. Once achieved, the protesters have maintained protests against Duque and in protest of police violence.
The authorities have confirmed 20 deaths that are directly related to the protests and mobilizations , while another nine are still under investigation. Civil organizations assure that the deceased are many more.
