NewsWhore
11-03-2011, 03:30 PM
President Leonel Fernandez instructed the National Police yesterday to act according to what is established in the law and to respect human rights. At the same time, the President committed himself to speeding up the approval of the modifications to the Fundamental Law of the institution that has languished in the National Congress for several years.
Leading a working session with the Superior Police Council at the National Police headquarters, the President received a report from the Chief of Police that shows an 86% improvement in the force's human resources management. The president's visit came at a time when members of the Police are constantly making headlines for their involvement in criminal acts and crime is on the rise in the country.
Human rights organization Amnesty International recently issued a report that blamed the Police for the killing of 154 civilians during the first eight months of this year. Newspaper reports also show that 32 policemen and members of the Armed Forces have been involved in criminal acts. However, large numbers of policemen have also been killed by criminals. The police reported that from January to mid-October, 55 policemen had been killed by criminals, and another 170 were injured.
At the end of the meeting, Presidential press director Rafael Nunez said that the visit was aimed at contributing to citizen safety in the country. He added that the Spanish International Cooperation Agency would be supporting the National Police with EUR700,000 in funding for the creation of a Community Police.
Nunez quoted the President as saying that a paradigm shift was needed, from a police force that maintains order to an institution that has to focus on citizen safety. In one of its articles, the proposed modification of the Fundamental Law of the National Police emphasized that the agency should safeguard the security of the citizens, prevent and control crimes, and pursue and investigate the criminal offenses under the authority of the Justice Department. The legislation, submitted to the Congress at the beginning of this year, also establishes improved salaries and living conditions for the police.
Sociologist Daniel Pou said that the legislative proposal for Police reform does not change the structure of the Institution, adding that "the only thing that changes is the article that prohibits the violation of the ranks. According to Pou, the proposal does not involve changing the current structure of the police force towards a Community Police. He said that the problem with the law is that it does not change the essence of the Police and allows it to follow what he called the military profile and the separation from society. Pou, who is a member of the commission studying the law of the Police Reformation, said that another of the problems that the legislation deals with is that it does not separate the investigation from the prevention.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
Leading a working session with the Superior Police Council at the National Police headquarters, the President received a report from the Chief of Police that shows an 86% improvement in the force's human resources management. The president's visit came at a time when members of the Police are constantly making headlines for their involvement in criminal acts and crime is on the rise in the country.
Human rights organization Amnesty International recently issued a report that blamed the Police for the killing of 154 civilians during the first eight months of this year. Newspaper reports also show that 32 policemen and members of the Armed Forces have been involved in criminal acts. However, large numbers of policemen have also been killed by criminals. The police reported that from January to mid-October, 55 policemen had been killed by criminals, and another 170 were injured.
At the end of the meeting, Presidential press director Rafael Nunez said that the visit was aimed at contributing to citizen safety in the country. He added that the Spanish International Cooperation Agency would be supporting the National Police with EUR700,000 in funding for the creation of a Community Police.
Nunez quoted the President as saying that a paradigm shift was needed, from a police force that maintains order to an institution that has to focus on citizen safety. In one of its articles, the proposed modification of the Fundamental Law of the National Police emphasized that the agency should safeguard the security of the citizens, prevent and control crimes, and pursue and investigate the criminal offenses under the authority of the Justice Department. The legislation, submitted to the Congress at the beginning of this year, also establishes improved salaries and living conditions for the police.
Sociologist Daniel Pou said that the legislative proposal for Police reform does not change the structure of the Institution, adding that "the only thing that changes is the article that prohibits the violation of the ranks. According to Pou, the proposal does not involve changing the current structure of the police force towards a Community Police. He said that the problem with the law is that it does not change the essence of the Police and allows it to follow what he called the military profile and the separation from society. Pou, who is a member of the commission studying the law of the Police Reformation, said that another of the problems that the legislation deals with is that it does not separate the investigation from the prevention.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)