Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli publicly defended his decision to declare a year-long state of emergency, on Monday. The decree was announced Saturday in response to a wave of violence, including attempted lynching, sweeping across Argentina that is seen as a result of a perceived absence of the state.
In a move that has been criticized by human rights groups, Buenos Aires province, which represents 35 percent of Argentina’s electorate, immediately recalled retired police officers to increase the law enforcement forces to 5,000 agents. The state of emergency also calls for the establishment of eight new detention centers and four new prisons and a 600 million-peso investment in police equipment. It also requires that the provinces’ Security Council to be in permanent session.
According to a new poll by Management & Fit, nine out of 10 Argentines feels that insecurity is the main problem facing the country, ahead of inflation, unemployment and corruption. Moreover, 38.7 percent of those interviewed blame President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for crime wave.