Police Operations Responsible for Drop in Major Crimes in August

John Saldivar

The Ministry of National Security says major crimes were down by twenty-seven percent in August, when compared to July. The crime statistics indicate that one hundred major crimes were reported in August, while one hundred and thirty-seven were recorded in July. When we spoke with Minister John Saldivar today, we asked him to comment on what has resulted in this decrease. He says it is a combination of the different operations across the country and those are expected to continue through the end of the year.

John Saldivar, Minister of National Security

“Obviously, in August that came before the implementation of the declaration of the emergency areas. So, it certainly had nothing to do with that. It had to do with the various operations that we have been conducting country wide, including Operation Act, Operation Clamp Down, including several weekend exercises where we have gone after certain elements we believe to be responsible for the hike in crime. I think that has been successful especially for the month of August.”

Andrea Polanco

“To sustain this, will all these operations be maintained?”

John Saldivar

“We’re continuing them for as long as we believe they are necessary and so far we see that certainly until the end of year. But we will keep them in place for as long as we feel necessary.”