The government is working "on a development plan on deterrent methods for the armed forces at the borders, troop transport, radars..." to support security forces in the fight against drug trafficking, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced on Saturday.
"It is something that is not finished and is beginning to be discussed with Defense Minister Luis Petri. A joint team between Security and Defense is working," he said in statements to Radio Milenium's Dato sobre Dato.
Defense sources said that one of the ideas is to remove the Gendarmerie from the custody of strategic targets, such as nuclear plants, and give that task to the Army, without violating Defense and Internal Security laws that prohibit the military from participating in the fight against common crime.
On the other hand, Bullrich insisted that Congress approve the delegation of powers to President Javier Milei, even if it is for one year with the possibility of renewal. "I think it's very important to understand that the country's moment is a moment that needs a lot of rules to be able to accompany the economic processes that we are carrying out," he said. In addition, he said that until Friday he had not received any communication from the CGT for the strike with mobilization on the 24th. In response to Pablo Moyano, he said that "they know the protocol, they have the right to protest but not to block the streets and we will enforce the law."
"We are in an emergency and in an emergency, just as Alberto Fernández had, special powers are needed. It could be a year and then go back to Congress. I am convinced that Congress, the blocs that want change and that have fought for change, will support it," she said.
Bullrich then explained that it will not be possible to defeat organized crime, especially drug trafficking, if the legal actions of the police are not protected with more laws, as was done in Uruguay or Chile.
The Minister of Security, who spoke this week in Congress, explained that it is necessary to legislate around "extended legitimate defense" for police, prefects and gendarmes. It also gives the "benefit of the doubt" to police officers in violent actions as long as they act in the interest of the law and takes away the right to sue those who commit crimes.
"In Argentina, the Civil Code has Article 34 on self-defense. It is designed for the time when the Code was issued, that is, 103 years ago," he said.
Thus, "people could defend themselves as long as the proportionality of what was wielded, the people who were inside their house were the same as the ones you had. That's how we've seen so many people beaten to death, with pineapples, with firearms."
In the case of the policeman, "we propose that we always have to look at the case by giving the police forces, who have the obligation to defend people, the benefit of the doubt in their favor. What is happening is that the benefit of the doubt is in many cases in favor of the criminal."
"Now it happens that in many cases a policeman fires his gun and immediately goes to jail. That is what ends up generating, in some cases there are police officers imprisoned for life in prison," he said.
From his point of view, "when you do it within the framework of the law because you're acting as a policeman, it couldn't happen because you're not acting as a policeman. If the cop is a thief, take him out. Let's not even analyze it."
In the case of committing crimes, "a police officer has the same penalties as a thief, aggravated by being a police officer, but we have cases of police officers who are imprisoned for having acted as police officers."
"That leads the forces to use the weapon very little for fear of the consequences they may have in the case of the use of the weapon, so the criminals escape, the police do not act for fear that the consequence will fall on him and not on the thief...," he added.
So "in the omnibus bill we have turned the article around so that the police do their job protected by the law and that the judge does not have a lax interpretation of that law, but that it is concrete and clear. The benefit of the doubt is always in favor of the security forces."
In addition, "we also take from the laws the opportunity for the offender to be a plaintiff." "The offender cannot sue because he chose the option of being a criminal. The consequence of being a criminal means that you are going to have a trial and that you are not going to sue later. Today a criminal finishes a trial and sues the police or the state, and in some cases wins. That's crazy. You chose to be a criminal and then you take money," he added.
He confirmed the re-establishment of the Intelligence Directorate of the Penitentiary Service, which had been eliminated by the government of Alberto Fernández and Cristina Kirchner. "We now have about 140 or so high-risk prisoners. So in a few days we are going to announce a special program for these high-risk prisoners and so that they can no longer commit crimes from prisons. "