The Minister of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda, provided details this Monday, July 27, at a press conference, of the acts of violence recorded during the weekend, among these the massacre in a house in Boca del Monte, Villa Canales.
“We have had a very violent weekend. We have had a weekend where on Saturday alone we counted 24 deaths,” said the minister.
He said that it is a situation that had not occurred “at this level”, because, according to him, throughout the year the homicide rate has remained low. However, he admitted that in May there was no increase, but there was a rebound on some specific days, just like in June.
He added that they are “concerned” about the situation recorded on Saturday, July 25, because the number of people who died from homicidal violence “is a very high number” that should draw attention and forces them to rethink the security strategy, as well as analyze the operations carried out with the Army to focus them on the areas where violence is generated.
He explained that, according to the heat maps and schedules analyzed, it is possible to identify when this homicidal violence is recorded most frequently.
He announced that this July 27 they will meet with the Minister of Defense to reinforce joint operations and reiterated that they will refocus actions on the places where this violence originates, as they seek to improve security conditions in the country.
He recalled that for several months the decrease in homicides was continuous and that the time has come to rethink the security strategy.
He stated that, as a consequence of the operations, there has been a shift in violence after the implementation of the Sentinela Plan in Escuintla and the metropolitan area.
In that sense, according to the minister, violence has moved to places where there is less police control and, therefore, they will rethink the security strategy.
He added that they are concerned that much of this homicidal violence is occurring within homes and on private property. He explained that the Police lack the power to enter if there is no court order or obvious criminal conduct that allows action.
He pointed out that the area of the home, where people live together, often escapes police control, since they are private spaces and that is where, according to the minister, where homicidal violence generally occurs. Later, bodies appear abandoned on public roads, wrapped in sheets or bags.
He added that they analyze the causes of this violence and what structures are behind these criminal acts, with the purpose of dismantling them.
Hypothesis of massacre in Boca del Monte
Among the acts of violence that occurred on Saturday, the massacre in Boca del Monte, Villa Canales. He reported that in this case they are handling two lines of investigation: One suggests that the attack could have been the result of extortion and the other seeks to establish whether it is a dispute between gangs for control of the territory for drug dealing.
He also mentioned the crime against three people in San José Acatempa, Jutiapa. The hypothesis is that it was personal revenge and that the victims were involved in the attack on a tire store.
The minister also referred to the attack on a home in San Benito, Petén, where four people died. The investigation points to “a social cleansing associated with a group that is dedicating itself to this type of activities.”
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