It takes at least 30 officers armed with weapons and protective shields to engage a gang.”]Lima, Peru – The government is determined to employ a multidisciplinary strategy to prevent young people from joining gangs, as more than 12,000 belong to the about 430 gangs in the capital city of Lima and nearby El Callao.
Councilman Federico Tong Hurtado, an analyst on youth issues, said the number of young people involved in gangs represents “an alarming trend in the escalation of violence [in Lima] among these juvenile gangs.”
Col. Salvador Iglesias Paz, head of the police’s Green Squadron, which focuses on providing security in Lima and the most dangerous areas in neighboring cities, said these gangs are made up of young people between the ages of 15 and 27.
“In some cases, there are even 12-year-olds who are gang members,” he said, adding that 95% of the gang members are male.
Some of the most populated districts in Lima, such as San Martín de Porras, San Juan de Lurigancho, Ate, Comas, Villa El Salvador, Los Olivos and Villa María del Triunfo, have a strong gang presence.
Lima has a population of eight million, but 50% live in the city’s poorest areas, according to the Institute of Statistics and Informatics.
The gangs have no fewer than 10 youngsters each and may have as many as 150 members.
“[These youngsters] make weapons out of heavy objects, such as stones and construction metal, and they acquire others, like machetes, whips and homemade firearms on the black market,” Iglesias said, adding gang members are often armed when they commit robberies, rapes, murders and drug deals.
Gangs also use weapons when they engage in fights with rival factions, as the most common causes for confrontations are rivalries (22.3%) and territorial disputes (15.83%), according to the police’s Situational Study of Youth Violence in Lima and El Callao.
To address the weapons problem, the Green Squadron launched a series of operations to confiscate guns and knives from gang members. The initiative followed publication of a recent study by an NGO that reports 71.9% of Peruvians don’t feel safe.
[captionpix imgsrc=”https://thecostaricanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/peru2.jpg” align=”right” captiontext=”Gangs also use weapons when they engage in fights with rival factions, as the most common causes for confrontations are rivalries (22.3%) and territorial disputes (15.83%), according to the police’s Situational Study of Youth Violence in Lima and El Callao.”]Greater police presence in the streets
The government deployed 13,000 police officers – at a cost of US$24 million – to the most dangerous neighborhoods in the Lima area on Aug. 15 to stem residents’ fears of being victims of crime.
“By boosting the presence of police officers in the streets, we will bring back the rule of law, and we’ll make sure the presence of the state is felt in those areas where gangs exist,” Iglesias said.
It takes at least 30 officers – armed with weapons and protective shields – to engage a gang.
“To conduct an operation with fewer men [than that] means putting the lives of the agents at risk,” Iglesias said.
Those found guilty of leading a gang can be sentenced to up to four years in prison.
“We shouldn’t stop at imposing harsher penalties,” Tong said. “We also need to create policies that contribute toward the benefit of young people, in social and economic matters, and with [greater] access to jobs. Gang membership makes youngsters feel as though they are part of a community. They feel safe in a city that assails and marginalizes them and find something akin to social recognition.”
Often those involved in gang life at an early age grow up wanting to follow in the leader’s footsteps.
“The disintegration of families, unemployment, as well as social and family violence, are the main factors that drive young people to join gangs,” Iglesias said.
That’s why the police departments in Lima and Callao have coordinated efforts with neighborhood watch groups to provide forums where they educate the public on the dangers associated with gang life and narco-trafficking.
Authorities in Lima also recently launched a $500,000 nuevos soles (US$178,571) program called “Chicos Chamba” (“Youth-Jobs”), which established a support network for 20,000 young people looking for work.
Another program, “Young Leaders Toward a Better Future,” which is coordinated by the Public Ministry, provided assistance to 500 minors who left gangs so they could return to school or enter the workforce.
“The best way to prevent gangs is by offering our adolescents and young adults facilities and activities to further their development,” Lima Mayor Susana Villarán said.
By Pedro Hurtado Cánepa for Infosurhoy.com
