Enrique Alfonso Severo, the ex-railway worker and key witness in the Mariano Ferreyra murder trial who went missing on Wednesday night, was found alive yesterday in Gerli, a neighbourhood of the Avellaneda district. The discovery comes after a nationwide manhunt and dramatic protests in the capital.

Severo, a former manager for the railway company Ferrobaires, was due to testify yesterday at noon in the ongoing trial of José Pedraza, general secretary of the Railway Union (UF) and Juan Carlos Fernández, his assistant, who are accused of organizing the clash on 20th October 2010 that left Partido Obrero (PO) militant Mariano Ferreyra dead. Of the more than 300 witnesses in the trial, Severo is believed to hold the key evidence linking Pedraza and Fernández to those who carried out the murder.

Ferreyra and other PO activists were protesting on 20th October 2010 with outsourced railway workers, known as “tercerizados”, on the Roca line in the south of the city. The protesters, who were demanding equal pay and benefits as fulltime employees, were met by a gang of unionized railway workers, who followed them as the protest moved to Barracas. Violence broke out between the two groups near the Constitución train station, in a clash that left Ferreyra dead and another PO militant, Elsa Rodriguez, seriously injured.

The suspected shooters are Cristian Favale and Gabriel Fernando Sánchez, football hooligans with ties to political and union violence. Several police officers are also on trial for failing to stop the attack.

Severo left his home around 11.30pm on Wednesday night to visit his grandson but never made it to his intended destination. After failing to appear at his testimony on Thursday at noon, Minister of Security Nilda Garré called for a nationwide search. Various left-wing and social organizations, spearheaded by the PO, marched on the Plaza de Mayo last night demanding an end to the kidnapping of witnesses.

The situation echoed the disappearance of Jorge Julio López in 2006, key witness in the trial against ex-director general of police investigations for Buenos Aires province Miguel Etchecolatz. López disappeared before his scheduled appearance in court and remains missing to this day.

After an anonymous call to 911 on Thursday night, Severo was found outside of a taxi station in Gerli, his hands bound with plastic ties and showing signs of physical abuse. Earlier in the day, police had located his car, with the keys placed in a nearby street. Severo was taken to nearby Finochietto de Sarandí hospital and stated that he does not know who is responsible for the kidnapping.

His son, Gastón Severo, told Canal 9 that his father told him he was held captive in a location three blocks from a railway facility used by his former employer, Ferrobaires. He was taken from his car by two armed men on a motorcycle. After a blow to the head, he lost consciousness.

“He’s dehydrated, he’s vomiting and coughing”, Gastón said. “He couldn’t talk much.”

“The message was not for me”, Severo told the press before being taken to the hospital. “It was for the president.”

Severo would not give details of what had occurred during his kidnapping, but vowed that the experience had not deterred him from delivering his testimony. “Whatever happens, I’m going to testify in court”, he affirmed. “Somebody has to do something. I’m going to testify, I’m going to recount everything…I’m not scared.”

His family said they had begun receiving threatening phone calls in the days leading up to the court date. However, since they were never reported, according to the Ministry of Justice, Severo did not qualify for witness protection.

Security Force protests that started on Tuesday 2nd October continue this morning with a new petition of demands. After presenting a new petition with ten points last night, the representatives of protesters held a meeting with Secretary of Security Sergio Berni.

Among salary scale demands (a minimum of $7,000) the protesters announced their wish to “incorporate the staff to Labour Risks Insurance (ART) and to have a free choice of social benefits.” Berni promised to answer all complaints by next Tuesday.

Later this morning, the Ministry of Security Nilda Garré issued salary payments to all Gendarmerie agents for the months of August and September. Garré announced the “retirements” of ten Coastguard prefecture generals and ten Gendarmerie general commanders. She then appointed Carlos José Pereyra as General Commander, who replaced Juan Obdulio Sainz, and Andrés Manuel Monzón as a Prefecture General, who will replace Enrique Cingolani until the further notice.

Despite the changes, Naval Prefecture and National Gendarmerie agents decided to continue the protests.

The Interior and Transport Minister Florencio Randazzo announced that 400 gendarmes will start patrolling the Sarmiento and Mitre lines starting tomorrow.

“We will double the number of agents in order to ensure security on the Mitre and Sarmiento lines”, said Randazzo at a press conference held at the Casa Rosada.

Randazzo added that President Fernandez is behind the new measures and that newly mobilised police officers would focus on “stations with the most conflicts and the biggest number of passengers”. He also said they would be mobile in order to deal with problems when and where they occur.

The minister announced that federal police presence would be stepped up at Constitución, Retiro and Once the three main train hubs in Buenos Aires.

These new security measures come into place after the two lines concerned were paralysed by strikes last week following an attack on a security guard on the Mitre line.

The Argentine Gendarmerie counts 42,000 policemen and its primary role is to ensure national security along the countries border and national premises on foreign soil. They also are responsible for some high security complexes inside the country such as nuclear plants.

Governor Daniel Peralta is threatening to call a security emergency in the province of Santa Cruz if police officers reject his latest offer and continue to strike.

“We do not want to involve national forces but we may be forced to call a security emergency because if this is not an emergency, than what is?” said Peralta in a statement to the province.

The strike has been going on for 13 days and with the police absence the number of thefts has been steadily increasing.

Places like Caleta Olivia have been forced to close their shops for fear of theft after one case of armed robbery within the city and five cases reported in Rio Gallegos. In the tourist town of Calafate there are only 17 policemen patrolling the entire area according to La Nacion.

If a security emergency is called national police officers will be called in to ensure the safety of the province.

Peralta will give police officers 24 hours to accept the offer of a 34% increase in salaries starting this month and going till June 2013. In his initial proposal he offered the same increase but not starting until January.

Peralta has also offered to change the starting salary of a police officer to $6627.

However, police say they will not budge from a starting salary of $9000 and an increase of up to 90%.

Yesterday negotiations failed between the Minister of Government, Paola Knoop, the Economy
Minister, Ariel Ivovich, and the Chief of Police, Jorge Hassan.

According to Hassan the police officers will look at the proposal and in the meantime develop a security scheme for the people.

The Madres del Dolor Association submitted a letter this morning criticising Security Minister Nilda Garré for the government’s silence after protests held in response to the killing of two brothers in Cañuelas.

The association was formed in 2004 by a group of Argentine women who lost their innocent children in different crimes and situations of violence. After sending the letter to the security ministry, Viviam Perrone, president of the association, read the document on Radio 10.

The letter emphasized the crime that resulted in the death of two brothers at a supermarket in Cañuelas, as well as other recent violent crimes that have taken place in the province of Buenos Aires. Perrone commented on the radio program that “the feeling we have is that, the people who should be moved by these occurrences, don’t even move a muscle.” The letter stated: “Pain and impunity attack us again and again. And what is the response? Silence.”

Perrone stressed that she and the association were seeking concrete solutions to problems of crime and violence taking place in Argentina. The document ended by affirming that: “we are looking for definitive solutions, solutions for those who need to look towards a violent life in order to survive, and solutions for those of us who want to live in peace with what’s left of our families.”

The Mexican government announced today the release of approximately US$1.360m to state and municipal authorities to strengthen the institutions of security and justice in the country.

The loans represent part of the federal government’s plan to transfer responsibility for security and justice to lower levels of government.

Secretary of the Interior Alejandro Poire announced that the funds would be dispersed through various agreements between the federal government and the 32 states comprising the Republic.

“The delivery of these resources is accompanied by a clear demand, firm and unquestionable from society, that each of the states and municipalities yield concrete results that translate into greater security for the population,” Poire said.

Additionally, the resources will be funnelled through four new programs that comprise the country’s revamped criminal justice system: the Fund for Public Safety, the creditable police subsidy, the subsidy for municipal public safety, and the Support Program for Public Safety.

Secretary Poire emphasised that he would like to see this process accelerated and bringing measurable results to Mexican citizens as soon as possible, given the intense state of violence entrenched in the country.

“Entities should accelerate the pace, so that in 2016 the whole country is operating this new system of criminal justice. We have until 2016 to complete the reform, and it is a term that we cannot afford to delay,” Poire stated.

Under the current presidential term of Felipe Calderón, who came to power in 2006, an estimated 50,000 people have died as a result of violence generated from drug trafficking.

Police approach the blocked road and pass through the barrier to Parque Indoamericano. (Photo: Kate-Sedgwick)

The 15th December marks a year since Nilda Garré took up her position as head of Argentina’s Security Ministry. The new ministry was created in the aftermath of last year’s occupation of the Parque Indoamericano, taken in protest at the desperate lack of social housing in the city, which had left thousands living in squalor. The result was the death of three people during clashes between settlers, residents from the surrounding area, and police.

The creation of a new ministry, the fifth to be set up during Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s presidency, came as a swift answer to the problems laid bare within Argentina’s internal security forces during the occupation.

Evidence showed that, decades after military rule, the police were still operating repressively. Instead of dealing with protestors in a non-violent way, police were tempted into conflict. A culture of impunity within their ranks at the time meant they had little fear that they would be held accountable for their actions, resulting in many human rights violations.

This culture of impunity has been a long-standing problem in Argentina, and was most famously prevalent during the military government of 1976-83, a time when the state was synonymous with repression. A recent report written by Francesca Lessa, from the Latin American Internal Affairs Programme (LAIAP), points out worrying similarities between that period and now. “Impunity continues to prevail, giving rise to a culture and an environment in which human rights abuses are routinely practised, not thoroughly investigated and largely tolerated.”

Since the ministry’s creation, Garré’s response has been a sweeping renewal of the Federal Police’s top staff, which meant the removal of over 60 officers from their positions in January of this year alone. Jorge Carpio, from the Citizens’ Participation Forum for Justice and Human Rights (FOCO), sees the Federal Police as “a body pierced with corruption and impunity”, and for him this constituted a significant step.

However, critics at the time of the ministry’s creation were sceptical as to the ability of this new body to erase such a legacy. Ultimately, for them, purging simply meant a masking of real progress. “Unlike the quite successful reforms to the judiciary and the armed forces since democratization…there has been a failure to transform police,” Lessa tells us, “success has been limited to the purging of corrupt officers and some of those accused of human rights abuses.”

Repression

The repressive tactics used by the police during the occupation of Parque Indoamericano have resulted in a revised training programme, so that specific instruction is given on how to deal with social uprising or conflict. A new telephone reporting service was set up as well for members of the public to report on the conduct of officers.

Clear instruction and transparency are essential, according to Carpio, if the police are to avoid a “criminalization of social protest to which [they] are accustomed”. The training programme is yet to yield results however, and in June of this year six police officers, on trial for torture charges, were sentenced to prison, and deaths during clashes between land occupiers and police in Jujuy resulted in the resignation of both the chief of provincial police and the governor. Such events indicate that the wrong approach is still being taken.

Nilda Garré unveils the new plan to control access into the captial (Photo: Ministry of Security of Argentina)

Insecurity

The problem of public insecurity is also a large part of the ministry’s inheritance. A victimization survey conducted in 2008 by Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), revealed that perceptions of insecurity were higher in Argentina than in any other Latin American country, with 27.47% of respondents saying that they felt “unsafe” having been victims of crime.

The ministry’s response has been to step up police presence on the streets in Buenos Aires, in response to “legitimate demands of public safety”. This has meant the deployment on the streets of 6,000 Gendarmerie officers in January of this year, and a further 3,500 officers of the coast guard, Gendarmerie and Federal Police deployed in July.

A new command centre will control a more extensive camera system on roads, throughout the city and in train stations; all measures that have confirmed the move towards a state more closely watched and managed at a micro level at all times.

Organised Crime

Organised crime has long been a problem in Argentina, with the country historically ranking amongst those most favoured for the production and trafficking of drugs, trafficking of people, weapons and contraband goods, money laundering, car theft and road pirating.

A number of reasons have been given to explain this fact. Firstly, the difficulty in policing the vast amounts of land that make up Argentina’s borders has facilitated the practice of trafficking and smuggling; with security forces spread thinly, and a previous lack of sophisticated detection technology, slipping past “under the radar” has been relatively easy. Equally, a lack of adequate police presence has previously meant that car theft and road pirating have been a worthwhile business for those involved in organised crime.

The Security Ministry’s approach to these problems has been seemingly comprehensive. The so-called ‘Northern Shield’ operation came into effect in October with a view to combating trafficking and smuggling in the north of the country.

According to the ministry, it is “an intelligent strategy aided by all the resources at the State’s disposal, from relief agents of the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard, to modern military radar, helicopters, planes and boats from the systems of security and defence.”

For Ricardo Gil Laavedra, a politician with the Radical Civic Union (UCR), this comes as too little, too late. In a speech given to Congress, he explained that concerns about the country’s radar system had originally been voiced in 2004. Since then, he claims, there has been an “absence of relevant measures”. He has also suggested that the operation’s announcement, just months before the elections, was a manipulating tactic, adding “unfortunately, we have become accustomed to such manoeuvres.”

Corruption

An underlying problem though, and one that seems to surface frequently, is corruption – which seems to go to the highest levels. In 2001, ex-President Carlos Menem was placed under house arrest for five months following charges that he had headed an “illicit association” which dealt arms to Croatia and Ecuador during his years in office, showing that the problem infects even the highest in the chain of command. A leaked US embassy cable from December of last year explained the situation in the frankest of terms: “The near complete absence of enforcement coupled with a culture of impunity and corruption make Argentina ripe for exploitation by narcotraffickers and terrorist cells.”

Money laundering has previously been badly confronted, prompting the Financial Action Task Force (FAFT) to add Argentina to its list of “jurisdictions that have strategic AML/CFT [anti-money laundering /combating the financing of terrorism] deficiencies”. Since October 2011 however, they have been removed from that list, and are now qualified as a jurisdiction that has provided “a high-level political commitment to address the deficiencies”.

Cooperation

A difficulty in cooperation between the various internal security forces was also highlighted at Parque Indoamericano, and the ministry has sought to tackle that problem through a series of technological advances to facilitate open sharing of criminal information at a federal level.

Also, the creation of a Security Council has meant the meeting of representatives from every province, each security force, and ministers for security, justice, public safety and education, to debate matters of federal security. In this way, the ministry hopes to drastically improve the effectiveness of criminal intelligence in the country so that crime and organised crime, from mugging to road pirating, can be brought under control.

Progress?

The question as to whether or not any of the operations, such as ‘Northern Shield’, have been successful remains to be answered definitively since no figures have been published as yet. But during the period since the ministry’s creation there has been a record amount of cocaine and marijuana seized according to Garré; an increase of 8% on last year with cocaine, and 5% with marijuana.

With regard to actions taken by police during the occupation of Parque Indoamericano, the chamber of crime announced in September the prosecution of six Federal Police officers for their use of physical violence that resulted in the death of a young man. But according to Marcela Perelman, from the Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), this is not enough.

For her, like Lessa, real progress can only be achieved with reforms to the police, as has happened with the judiciary and armed forces since the military government. In an interview with Infosur, she noted that while “there are specific policies [to combat police autonomy], some symbolic, others more substantial, [they are] still not talking about structural reform.”

Carpio believes that the actions taken by the ministry represent progress however, since for the first time “we can say that there is political will to break the pact of coexistence with the police.”

Although it is still too early to judge the success of any of the ministry’s new policies decisively with so little hard evidence, it is clear that there is still much to be done. While it seems like there has been a decisive step towards confronting some of Argentina’s biggest problems, it is hard to be totally optimistic given the habit of creating policies that “go along the right path”, as Perelman puts it, but that are not followed through with significant conviction. A habit which seems to have existed throughout this government’s time in power. Ultimately, the message seems to be that without a complete structural reform of the police in Argentina any policies created will be in vain.

It is also worth considering that the issue of crime and insecurity should not be dressed at a security level, but rather a social one. In an article written for the newspaper Clarín, Laavedra explained that whilst devising new policies might look good on paper, they will be ineffective unless the underlying problem – inclusion – is addressed.

He explains: “The structural exclusion suffered by Argentina, with people who know they will die in poverty and that that is the fate of their children, is not the appropriate framework for the State to claim adherence to its rules.”

Until the State offers basic rights to all its citizens, such as housing, health, education and employment, the problem of exclusion will continue he argues, making sure that crime and insecurity follows with it.

Since the creation of the Security Ministry in December last year, government sources have stated drastic changes and much progress in fighting crime in the country – especially in the region of Buenos Aires.

The new ministry has Nilda Garré, former minister of defense, as its head and it is administrated simultaneously by the national government and the provinces. It is in command of the Federal Police, the police of airport security, the federal homeland security council, the naval prefecture and the national gendarmerie.

The Argentina Independent went to the streets to ask the population if they really felt the change in administration had a solid effect in the security of Buenos Aires and the fight against crime.

Federico Coppede, 19, student, Lanús

“Crimes here are getting worse by the day. Actually, everywhere I go I take a pepper spray with me, because you never know. When I go out, I also try to be in an open area that has people around.

It got worse in the last few years, you can’t even go to a park or sit alone in a public space without having to deal with people trying to sell you things or asking for money… it’s very uncomfortable.”

Marcelo Roberto, 46, diplomat, Belgrano

“The insecurity here in Buenos Aires is quite high nowadays.

There was the creation of the security ministry, but it is not a matter of creating ministries, is a matter of creating social conditions and opportunities for the people. A leadership change doesn’t alter the roots of the problem.

It is necessary to give work, education and a series of other things to the population, so they won’t have to turn to violence to make a living.

To improve security it is important to have more policemen in the streets while more money in invested I education and creating jobs.

I try to protect myself by not walking in dangerous areas and not wear expensive things that will caught the thieves’ attention.”

Natalia Fernández, 25, student, Ituzaingo

“It’s an absolute disaster the way policemen handle crimes in this country. Corruption is everywhere and it really make us lose our hope in the public institutions.

I don’t feel safe here.”

Marta de Fernández, 64, saleswoman, Avellaneda

“I’m from the Buenos Aires province and there’s a big difference between the province and the capital. The security policies focus more on the security of the federal capital, especially in the region of Palermo.

Since I’m from the southern part of greater Buenos Aires I come to Palermo with my family every chance I get, because we feel safer and we can enjoy more our day out without having to worry too much if we are going to be targeted by some criminal.

To stop the criminality in Argentina there should be no corruption in the police force and more jobs to everyone.

I try to keep a low profile and be aware of my surroundings. I have a stand in the San Telmo fair and I always warn the tourists about those types of situations. Although I believe that crimes and violence are present all over the world, no matter where you live.”

Laura Freiman, 55, beautician, Palermo

“I actually feel quite safe here in Palermo. Nothing has ever happened to me or my family, although I often hear about thefts and other crimes in this region.

I think it is necessary to study thoroughly the areas where most crimes occur and take the preventive measures. ”

After the shocking crime that resulted in the death of 11-year-old Candela, Security Minister Nilda Garré is reportedly considering creating a unified command to fight the country’s complex crimes.

According to national daily, La Nación, the reengineering of the federal forces would create a body similar to the American FBI, which deals with crimes such as kidnappings, drug trafficking and human trafficking. This federal body would be unified under a central command.

The idea of ​​creating a special body of research had already been analysed during the first months of the government of former president Nestor Kirchner, but the proposal was ultimately dropped. The new proposal would involve a specialised training of the forces, comparable to the training given to assault groups, such as the special elite GEOF of the Federal Police.

Candela had disappeared on Monday 22^nd August 2011, after which time her family launched a search with over a thousand Buenos Aires police and the help of other organizations. After more than a week of fruitless searching, the Hurlingham girl was found dead.

Guillermo Montenegro, minister of Justice and Security for Buenos Aires city government, confirmed that they will appeal the judicial decision to halt installation of security cameras in 92 schools.

The decision was made by Judge Elena Libaratori after a presentation by the parents of four students, the UTE-Ctera organisation of teachers and the Observation of Human Rights (ODH). The judge halted the implementation of more CCTV cameras and other similar devices in the interior of education institutions.

She defended her decision by saying “You should not lose sight of what is at state here, it is the right for children and adolescents not to be intimidated in the public schools of Buenos Aires.”

Montenegro reacted to this decision by deeming it “absurd”. In an interview with Radio 10, he remarked that “of course the cameras and alarms only work when nobody is in the school”. He continued to criticise the people protesting against the cameras as “people that only want to spend time and paper”.

He continued to defend the security system by stating that they are “to take care of everybody.”