By TCRN Staff
20 percent of the 200 patrol cars that the Chinese Government donated only a year before to the Ministry of Public Security are currently out of service.
According to official reports, these 40 vehicles suffered from various mechanical failures, were damaged in collisions or during the pursuit of suspects and at least three units have already been declared a total loss.
The cars have been sidelined while waiting for parts, some of them for several months. The parts must be purchased in China and the process is very slow.
Regional head of the security forces recognized that the purchase of spare parts is a problem but defended the quality of cars donated by China, “They are very strong cars, great machines and fast,” said Juan Jose Andrade, Regional Director of Police in Alajuela.
Police chiefs said that mechanical problems are usually present in the gearbox, which “is very different from those of other vehicles.”
For its part, the deputy director of the Public Force, Kattia Rivera, said he recently approved an invoice for ¢90 million for the purchase of spare parts that will be distributed next year.
