The Minister of Security of Santa Fe province, Pablo Cococcioni, provided details on Monday about the latest conversations with sectors representing the provincial police, within the framework of the protest held in front of the Headquarters of Regional Unit II, in the city of Rosario. According to the Argentine News Agency, the official recognized the legitimacy of the claims but warned about serious irregularities detected during the demonstration. "We share the protests, the needs and problems of the personnel of the Santa Fe Police and our security force are the first we highlight and try to give answers to," Cococcioni stated. However, he specified that during the day police posts were paralyzed, with an estimated 20 units in Rosario and a similar number in the city of Santa Fe, and cases of abandonment of service were registered. The minister affirmed that, although it is a legitimate claim, in the context of the protest, people linked to displaced sectors of the force intervened, some of them linked to very serious corruption crimes. In this sense, Cococcioni informed that the head of the Provincial Police initiated the corresponding administrative proceedings and that no less than 20 police officials are already under investigation, a number that could increase in the coming hours. He detailed that the involved officers will be placed at disposal, with the withdrawal of the regulation firearm and the bulletproof vest, while the analysis of each particular situation advances. The Ministry of Security emphasized that the right to claim will be guaranteed, but behaviors that affect the functioning of the service or possible links with corruption cases within the force will not be tolerated.
