Over the last few years, at least 1,400 officers have been removed from their position on the provincial police force in Argentina.

There are thousands more who are still allegedly under investigation, about 27,000 or more officers. They are trying to tackle the issue of police corruption and they think that a database is going to help them to do it.

They've recently launched a new database that is going to help keep track of officers who have been fired from the largest police force in the country because of their criminal actions.

So far, that registry they've constructed already lists about 8,500 names of officers who have been discharged since 1966. The registry contains information about why they were removed from their position, such as what charges they might have faced in the past.

At least 15 percent of the officers have allegedly been accused of colluding with drug trafficking organizations...

Government officials have indicated that they hope that the database will be used to provide private security firms with enough information so that they don't hire corrupt officers who might have been fired previously. In other attempts to help improve the situation, police have also recently seen a pay raise to their salaries as some of them have been accused of accepting financial compensation from criminal organizations.

Rather than seeing a continued focus placed on the drug war, I would much rather see the police in Argentina place an emphasis on human trafficking or other violent crimes, than continue to funnel their efforts toward battling a war centered around victimless crimes such as drug trafficking. Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal activities today.

The Argentinian government has previously declared that they've rescued thousands of victims from trafficking over the years. They've been internationally recognized for their efforts to try and combat human trafficking. However, victims have criticized the government for failing to provide adequate resources to trafficked women that get rescued by the state. And corruption still plays a critical role in preventing authorities and the overall system from honestly addressing injustices and dispersing appropriate remedies.

Many (if not all) governments around the world face accusations of corruption and Argentina is no exception.

However, the government in Argentina has been on a recent kick to try and build trust back up with the people. Since 2015, several legislative changes have taken place that have sought to supposedly boost transparency in government and combat corruption at various levels.

In November 2017, a former Vice President was arrested in Argentina on corruption charges.

When they do identify those “problem individuals” at various levels, they will also need to deliver the appropriate punishment to them; a culture of immunity only helps to fuel the problem of corruption.

Maybe corruption is what the system has been designed to encourage?...

By now, we shouldn't be shocked to discover when the corruption is finally revealed to us, nor should we be surprised to find out that the attempts to cure that corruption fail every time. When you have a system of organization that endows its operatives with power to rule over the lives of the people, their liberty and property, and when those operatives have an opportunity to sell this power to the highest bidder, we will continue to hear of these tales of corruption.

Pics:
pixabay

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