Crime threat assessment in Latin America presented
Drafted by seven countries in the region with the support of the EL PAcCTO, IDEAL - Latin American Transnational Organised Crime Threat Assessment was presented last Tuesday in Lisbon.
Minister of Justice at the presentation of IDEAL
Inspired by SOCTA (Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment in the EU), IDEAL is an innovative tool which, through the collection and exchange of information between the seven countries involved - Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Panama - allows an assessment of the threat of transnational organised crime and the identification of the crimes with the greatest impact in the region, which should be given priority in terms of the operational response of the police and judicial authorities.
Drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, arms trafficking, cybercrime, smuggling, environmental crimes, property crimes and money laundering were identified as the main crimes in Latin America in terms of threat to the security and well-being of citizens.
"The seven countries involved in the preparation of this instrument with the support of the EL PAcCTO Programme are to be congratulated. It has made it possible to identify areas of crime with a serious impact on the region and which will surely be priorities" in terms of response, said the Minister of Justice, who was present at the IDEAL presentation session, which took place at the headquarters of the Criminal Police in Lisbon.
Being common intervention areas, IDEAL will also be "an important element to reinforce cooperation between EU and Latin American Member States", said Francisca Van Dunem.
For the Minister of Justice, trying to fight crime in an isolated manner or with merely sectorial approaches, closed within the borders of our countries, "is a recipe for failure". An effective fight against crime in the 21st century "requires a joint response", whether at international or regional level, based on mutual trust and unreserved cooperation between States and between the competent national authorities, she argued.
Being common intervention areas, IDEAL will also be "an important element to reinforce cooperation between EU and Latin American Member States", said Francisca Van Dunem.
For the Minister of Justice, trying to fight crime in an isolated manner or with merely sectorial approaches, closed within the borders of our countries, "is a recipe for failure". An effective fight against crime in the 21st century "requires a joint response", whether at international or regional level, based on mutual trust and unreserved cooperation between States and between the competent national authorities, she argued.
"As I have said on several occasions - and I never get tired of saying so - there can be no security without justice and no justice without security. These two realities complement each other and should go hand in hand in preventing and fighting crime, so that our citizens feel safer, freer and protected".
In addition to the Minister of Justice, the Minister of the Government of Bolivia, Carlos Eduardo de Castillo del Carpio, the Minister of Justice and Public Safety of El Salvador, Héctor Gustavo Villatoro, the Vice-Minister of Public Safety of Costa Rica, Luis Castillo, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Safety of Panama, Jonathan Riggs Tapia, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Safety of Chile, Juan Francisco Galli, the Head of the International Partnerships Unit of the European Commission, Jorge de La Caballería and the National Director of the Judiciary Police, Luis Neves also participated in the presentation of IDEAL.