First modification:
Ecuador – Through a broadcast on the national network, the President of Ecuador announced the authorization to possess and carry weapons for civilian use for personal defense in that country and other measures to combat the “common enemy” created by crime, drug trafficking and organized crime.
In Quito, the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, announced this Saturday three urgent measures to combat insecurity in the country, among which he mentioned the authorization to possess and carry weapons for civilian use for personal defense.
This announcement comes in the midst of the political crisis facing the president and the stupor caused by the news about businessman Rubén Cherres who was found dead. He was one of those involved in the alleged network of state corruption that was the basis of the political trial against the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso.
The biggest fear today is feeling insecure. That is why we are announcing three immediate measures in this #CrusadeForYourSafety to combat the greatest enemy we have, which is delinquency, drug trafficking and organized crime. https://t.co/I7Upe4tWDf
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) April 2, 2023
“We have modified the decree that allows the possession and carrying of weapons”, He said in a message to the nation in which he pointed out that this use is allowed for “personal defense in accordance with the requirements of the law and the regulations.”
It also authorized the use of pepper spray for personal defense. Likewise, the ruler pointed out that the manufacture, registration and possession of artisanal weapons is prohibited.
It also established controls and computerized registration coordinated by the Ministry of Public Security and indicated that private security guards will support the National Police in surveillance and security tasks by carrying their weapons at work stations.
Unified command post, too
On the other hand, Lasso reported that they have installed the Unified Command Post -which he leads-, permanently in the coastal city of Guayaquil, but it will rotate through the provinces of Santa Elena and Los Ríos.
The third measure has to do with the decree of a state of emergency, with a curfew as of Sunday, April 2, in zone 8 of the coastal province of Guayas, which includes Guayaquil, Sanborondón and Durán; and in the provinces of Santa Elena and Los Ríos.
One of the measures taken is the State of Exception with a curfew in Zone 8: Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón, and in the provinces of Santa Elena and Los Ríos. The measure is in force from 01:00 this Sunday, April 2, 2023, until 05:00 in the morning.
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) April 2, 2023
“I feel like you are concerned about insecurity,” he commented, pointing out that they have created the “For your safety” crusade, a strategy that combines the Armed Forces, National Police and Intelligence.
Identified objectives to capture
He noted that they have identified fifteen “high-value targets,” as he refers to the leaders of criminal groups, of whom six have been arrested.
Early Friday morning they captured a leader of the criminal group ‘Los Lobos’ in operations deployed in five provinces, which included 25 raids. However, a judge from the coastal province of Manabí released a leader of that gang identified as “El gordo Lucho,” he said.
“Despite some bad judges, we are going to act rigorously, with a strong hand,” stressed the ruler before recalling that on Friday the police presence in Guayaquil was strengthened with 130 repowered vehicles and more than 400 new police officers, a contingent that will Join the Armed Forces, who will watch the streets. also, andThe ruler asked the population to denounce irregular acts at 1800 Crimes.
The government’s justification
Lasso announced the new measures after various violent events in recent days, including murders, hitmen, the abandonment of a human head in a park and numerous robberies, including the assault on a bank in a busy shopping center in broad daylight. day in the coastal city of Guayaquil.
In that same city, criminals kidnapped a subject this week and hours later they left him with an explosive device attached to his bodyor, in a street in Guayaquil, one of the most hit by crime. It took bomb squads more than three hours to deactivate the device that was taped to the subject’s vest, as well as to his left leg, a scene never before seen in Ecuador.
Requirements for those who carry weapons
a) Be at least 25 years old
b) Certificate of the psychological test issued by the Ministry of Public Health.
c) Certificate of skill in the handling and use of the weapon issued by the Ministry of National Defense.
d) Not having been sentenced with an enforceable sentence for the commission of a crime.
e) Do not record a history of violence against women or members of the family nucleus.
f) Certificate of passing the toxicological test, which determines that the person does not ingest controlled substances or is not alcoholic, issued by the Ministry of Public Health.
g) Others established by the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Command of the Armed Forces for that purpose.
With EFE and local media
