When President Uribe launched his Red de Cooperación Ciudadana ('Network of Citizen Cooperation') in August last year, he spoke of blanketing the country with 'a million' informants who would be rewarded for any leads producing tangible results. Recruitment was more successful than anticipated: the network currently has more that 1.6m members.
The first working day of the week has become 'reward Monday', when a big show is made of announcing the amounts paid out for fruitful leads. Over the past year, a total of Col$2.56bn (US$890,730) has been distributed among 2,808 informants - an average of US$403 each.
Balance sheet
The Red was meant primarily to assist in the campaign against guerrillas, paramilitaries and drug traffickers. The information it provided led to the capture of 1,822 members of armed organisations and helped the security forces 'locate and kill 307 members of outlawed armed organisations.' In these actions 1,672 firearms were seized and four camps of guerrillas and paramilitaries were destroyed. The information also led to the freeing of 97 hostages.
On the counternarcotics front, the Red is credited with having led to the seizure of 8.6 tonnes of cocaine, 5t of marihuana and 177 kilos of heroin, and the destruction of eight drug-processing labs.
A side benefit was the information that led to the arrest of 3,915 common criminals - twice as many as the guerrillas and paramilitaries captured.
Intelligence from prisons
Officials say that similar success has accompanied a far less publicised component of Uribe's 'democratic security' strategy: gathering 'preventive' intelligence in prisons on the organisation of kidnapping networks; their leaders, modus operandi, and financing. This is credited with the increased effectiveness of the police in thwarting kidnap attempts and solving cases of abduction.
End of preview - This article contains approximately 331 words.
Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article
Not a Subscriber?
Choose from one of the following options
