The director of the Honduran National Police, Gustavo Sanchez, assured Monday that an extension of the state of emergency in the cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula is planned to help contain high crime rates.
«The state of exception is a useful tool for the prosecution of crime. We are attacking criminal structures,» said Sánchez, adding that one of the axes against extortion is to «strengthen security and controls in the penitentiary system,» according to Radio HRN.
On the other hand, Sanchez assured that by the end of January there will be close to a thousand policemen on the streets of Honduras to collaborate with security tasks. «Much remains to be done, but we understand that we are on the right path», he explained with respect to the homicide rate, according to the news portal Proceso Digital.
The state of emergency, which expires on January 6, covers some of the neighborhoods and districts of the cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula where gangs have been intensifying their criminal activities, such as robberies and extortion.
The regulation is reminiscent of a similar one announced by one of its also troubled neighbors, El Salvador, where its president, Nayib Bukele, decreed a state of emergency that has been in effect for more than seven months, amid criticism and complaints from international organizations for alleged human rights violations.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
