Bucaramanga will have facial recognition cameras to catch criminals: they will start working in 2025

The city of Bucaramanga is ready to modernize its camera system to contribute to the security of the capital city of Santander and its metropolitan area. As of September 23rd, the city’s stadium has already had the first facial recognition camera system linked to the Metropolitan Police and the mayor’s office to monitor those with criminal records and current warrants.

In this pilot test Five people with outstanding debts to justice were identified inside the stadium. One of them was wearing a house arrest bracelet and the other four were arrested, Beltrán said. In addition, another 14 people were identified with court notes at the Américo Montanini Stadium.

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But this is only the beginning of the change in the security model that Mayor Jaime Andrés Beltrán will introduce for the city, even if there are still adjustments that are already known to the Ministry of the Interior. Even, Many criminals commit crimes in Bucaramanga and flee to nearby municipalities such as Floridablanca or Girón, making it difficult to track them..

To address this situation, the mayor announced that a project worth nearly 52,000 million pesos has been presented to Secretary Juan Fernando Cristo to create an integrated monitoring center that will link all security cameras in the metropolitan area. To date, more than 600 of the 900 existing security cameras in Bucaramanga have been restored.

actually By early 2025, around 32 artificial intelligence cameras capable of facial and license plate recognition and linked to registry, prosecutor’s office and police databases are expected to be installed in Bucaramanga to identify people with criminal records.. The first areas that will be prioritized for the installation of these cameras will be the center, the headquarters, the vicinity of markets and other places with high traffic.

“There are sources from the mayor’s office, from the government. What we have already done is restore damaged security cameras“, commented Colombian Bukele Jaime Andrés Beltrán.

The mayor explained that the cameras will be connected to a large monitoring center that will be created, where the Police will monitor movements detected by artificial intelligence. The generation of an alert will be communicated to the specialized mobile group of the PČR or the quadrants so that they can capture the identified person. The third phase of the project will involve the integration of security fronts, community policing and civic culture strategies.

Beltrán also called for justice, so that crime-fighting strategies are accompanied by effective punishments for criminals. He pointed out that efforts to catch criminals are futile if they are quickly released, as happened in the case of Alias ​​’Pichi’, who was released and caused security and micro-trading problems in the city.

“The efforts we make to catch criminals are worthless if they are back on the streets within 15 days. What we are experiencing with Alias ​​’Pichi’ who was releasedand who has done so much damage in terms of security and micro-business is absurd,” said the mayor.

Óscar Camargo, known as Pichi, was released after being appointed peace manager by the national government, sparking strong controversy due to his criminal record, which includes numerous murders related to drug trafficking in Bucaramanga.

Pichi was released three months ago after being held in a prison in Valledupar, and although the authorities in Santander initially did not know the reasons for his release, lawyer and human rights defender William Cristancho explained that The release was due to his appointment as peace manager, a figure that the president and his cabinet have used to eliminate internal conflict between gangs and criminal organizations and submit to Colombian justice..

However, his appointment as peace manager is not exempt from restrictions, such as a ban on entering Santander, the territory where he committed the crime. “The benefit was granted because they are trying to dissolve the internal conflict between these gangs and criminal organizations and submit to Colombian justice. He has to coordinate with his gangs to stop committing crimes and submit to justice, it is to bring peace to the territory, his duty is to answer for his people,” stated Cristancho.

Pichi’s release has been criticized due to an increase in the number of murders in Bucaramanga, which Mayor Jaime Andrés Beltrán says is caused by feuds between criminal gangs. “The so-called “peace managers” thing is getting out of hand. The worst and most dangerous criminals are freed without paying for so much damage done to society. It is not only about rewarding crime, but also about mocking its victims and the whole country,” said the Colombian Bukele.

However, the national government defended the decision, arguing that the figure of the peace manager was necessary to eliminate criminal gangs and pacify areas affected by violence.