00:00Military control must be established in Sumapaz and in the Usme-Sumapaz corridor to contain
00:08the expansion of that network.
00:11President Abelardo de la Espriella put forward the idea of strengthening controls
00:15military presence in southern Bogotá. But there's a key fact: the army already has a presence.
00:21in the city. So, what would change with militarization?
00:24According to the district, Brigade 13 has a presence in the border areas of Bogotá.
00:29The army also participates in the military anti-kidnapping unit (GAULA) in the Ezekiel plan for Usme and Sumapaz.
00:34and in the Coraza plan. That presence, the administration says, is maintained as part of
00:39The security strategy. What is the purpose of this support? The military accompanies the police.
00:45in certain operations, including those carried out in border areas, that function
00:50as strategic corridors for moving weapons and drugs. They also provide capabilities for
00:55intelligence, technology and operational support.
00:58It's impossible to say what the government thinks about putting soldiers on the streets, because the
01:04Soldiers are already participating in the functions and missions that the constitution and the law give them
01:08and in the type of activities they carry out to support public safety. People are
01:12will ask what they are.
01:13Joint patrols, patrols on city edges, support for control activities in the city, checkpoints
01:23for control on public roads, security in perimeter areas and military units, the work
01:32Extremely important for the military anti-kidnapping unit (GAULA), intelligence gathering contributes to intelligence fusion.
01:40of the city, including comprehensive action. The Army played a leading role in responding to the fires.
01:46newly initiated. The difference is raised by Security Secretary César Restrepo. One thing
01:51One option is for the Army to support the police under its coordination, and another is to resort to assistance.
01:57The military is exceptional because police capacity has been overwhelmed. In that scenario, the role of the
02:02Military forces would be expanded and the police might no longer be in charge of security in the
02:08territory. Restrepo maintains that Bogotá faces security problems, but not a situation of
02:13destabilization that would justify such an exceptional measure. Furthermore, the soldiers
02:18They do not replace police functions, nor are they intended to take over the daily tasks of
02:23urban security nor judicial police procedures.
02:26The concept of militarization is not a spontaneous one. It is part of a legal framework that is very
02:33It is clear in pointing out that this is a measure for exceptional states, in which the National Police
02:38It is surpassed in its capacity to act in the city and additionally by a temporary space
02:44Very short. It's what you might call a stabilization phase, allowing you to regain control.
02:51of a city as a whole, where the police no longer have any say, the police are absolutely
02:57removed from the safety equation.
02:59There are other issues behind the debate. The district acknowledges it needs more police resources.
03:05and has called for a greater police presence. The discussion, therefore, is not simply about how many
03:11soldiers can be deployed, but what role would they play, under what coordination, and against what
03:16specific security problems. For now, the president's announcement does not specify how many.
03:21The district maintains that military personnel will arrive, but to which sectors and within what timeframe. The district, for its part, asserts that it already...
03:27He works with the army and has not suggested requesting a militarization of the city. However,
03:32The proposal to militarize Bogotá is indeed moving forward through another avenue. The brothers Julián Uzcategui, a city councilman,
03:38José Jaime Uzcategui, a congressman, spearheaded the initiative and gathered the necessary signatures.
03:43to convene an open town hall meeting. The proposal will be discussed on November 7th.
03:48New Granada Military University, in a space to discuss the possibility of expanding its presence
03:53of the military forces in the city. So the debate doesn't end with the statement of the
03:58President. While the district defends the current coordination scheme between police and
04:03The army, the militarization initiative to be discussed in the City Council seeks to respond to what
04:09The city asks itself: What should change to improve security in Bogotá?
