Today the newly created Metropolitan Police force begins patrolling the streets of Buenos Aires. The new force has been created to address security within Buenos Aires proper and will augment, and in some cases replace, the presence of provincial and federal police who currently patrol the city. As of today, the force consists of 500 officers but is expected to reach 2,000 by the end of the year and grow to around 10,000 over the next 10 years. Due to this initial size, the force will not yet patrol 24 hours a day and will limit its activities to the neighbourhoods of Villa Urquiza, Saavedra, Devoto, and some of the city’s most popular tourist sites for the next few months.
The force was created by city of Buenos Aires mayor Mauricio Macri. In an opening ceremony earlier today Macri said that the police force will collaborate with the federal forces to improve security in the capital, which has intensified as a major political concern in the last year. The head of the new force, Eugenio Burzaco, said that the Metropolitan Police will initially focus on “informal car washers, selling alcohol to minors, and possession of weapons.” He further explained that, for now, the force will not interfere in demonstrations and protests as they are currently unequipped for such policing, but he did point out a societal demand for such intervention.
Other contentious issues also surround the creation of the new force. Earlier this year Macri’s initial choice to head the force, Jorge “Fino” Palacios, was indicted for espionage and illicit association stemming from his role in a high profile illegal wire-tapping case. Furthermore, the choice to equip the new force with electric taser guns has been met with widespread concern and criticism.