Interpol will create a task force with South American countries to combat transnational drug trafficking. The group, which will be coordinated by Brazil, will meet at the organization’s regional office in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The expectation is that all countries in the region will join the task force with at least one agent from each nation. Police officers will be recruited from March. The model will allow the execution of simultaneous and coordinated operations between the group’s countries to combat drug trafficking.
“They will be able to identify the presence of assets from these organizations and from there generate intelligence for new criminal operations. It is a model that will guarantee a much greater volume of operations than what we have today”, explained the secretary general of Interpol, Valdecy Urquiza.
Everything you need to know to protect your wallet
The Brazilian government signed this Monday, the 23rd, the partnership agreement with Interpol. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) is expected to initially invest around R$11 million for one year of the project.
The format was inspired by the Integrated Force to Combat Organized Crime (FICCO), created by the Brazilian government to coordinate federal and state authorities in combating criminal organizations. The group operates in several states in Brazil in a coordinated manner.
“The idea is that, using this model, these agents will have access to all global public security information, Interpol databases and the possibility of carrying out operations with cooperation in real time. This will encourage strategic actions to dismantle transnational organized crime in our region”, stated the national secretary for Drug Policies and Asset Management (SENAD), Marta Machado.
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In June last year, the government had already signed an initial agreement with Interpol in Lyon, France, to strengthen the partnership in combating organized crime. On that occasion, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva committed to acting in the fight against criminal organizations.
‘Obsessive concern’, says minister
During the event, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Wellington Cesar Lima e Silva, stated that the partnership will provide an agile flow of information between countries, enabling security forces to anticipate the fight against organized crime. The minister highlighted the ministry’s “obsessive concern” regarding public security.
“This is an issue that has closely touched the Brazilian population. All research indicates this level of priority. And it is possible and necessary that we have objective conditions to raise this initiative to a level of priority, undeniably”, said the minister.
Public security is one of the areas with the worst evaluation in the government. In January, a survey by Paraná Pesquisas indicated that 44.3% of the population considers that public security worsened during the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
As Estadão showed, the area became a battlefield between President Lula and the right. The theme should occupy this year’s electoral campaign.
In January, after the first meeting with President Lula after taking over the MJSP, Lima e Silva stated that the PT member decided to elevate the fight against organized crime to a “State action”. This Monday, the minister once again cited the “change in level” in policies for the area. “This is part of a larger context that has been reiterated by the president of this firm objective of combating organized crime,” he stated.
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