On July 24th, a 4-year-old girl was victim of a shooting. It occurred in San Miguel de Desamparados. The bullets aimed at a man, but they reached her when she was watching a soccer game.
According to community leaders, this situation highlights the violence they are living in. Jesús Corrales, Committee of Sports and Recreation’s director, declared that they have asked for security forces’ support but it has not been enough.
We, as a community, have tried to promote family values to make them help us, but unfortunately we can do as far as the budget allows us to do. We have no access to private security,
explained Corrales. According to him, police hardly helps.
However, when asked, Allan Herrera, head of Desamparados’ police station, was surprised because, according to him, communication and collaboration is permanent.
In fact, we’ve planned a meeting next Tuesday. When the committees ask for help, police is always there (…) there are so many activities where police has to participate,
said Herrera.
He added that San Miguel is one of the district with the largest number of officers, vehicles and motorcycles, precisely because it is one of the places with the highest crime rate.
Desamparados Municipality developed a Security Brigade that focuses on prevention. David Hidalgo, director of Public Security, explained that it is intended to recover public spaces, which is the best way to attack insecurity.