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Barranquilla Police get new commander amid complex security crisis
🇨🇴 Colombia /Crime & Justice

Barranquilla Police get new commander amid complex security crisis

From El Tiempo · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Brigadier General Miguel Camelo has been removed as commander of the Barranquilla Metropolitan Police amid a worsening security crisis.
  • His transfer to command the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Police follows a period marked by operations against criminal organizations but also a sustained increase in homicides.
  • The change in leadership occurs as city officials express frustration over a perceived lack of results despite investments in police resources.

Brigadier General Miguel Camelo has been removed from his post as commander of the Barranquilla Metropolitan Police, a change occurring amidst a complex and escalating security situation in the metropolitan area. Camelo has been reassigned to lead the Metropolitan Police in Bucaramanga, concluding a tenure in Barranquilla marked by efforts against criminal organizations and extortion, but also by a persistent rise in homicides.

The leadership change comes just days after a high-level meeting involving Barranquilla Mayor Alejandro Char, Minister of Justice Iván Cancino, and the national prisons authority (Inpec) to address the deteriorating security conditions. The urgency of the situation is underscored by statistics: as of August 15, 2026, Barranquilla and its surrounding municipalities had already recorded 738 homicides, surpassing the 725 recorded for the entirety of 2025.

Recent weeks have seen a spate of violent incidents, including massacres, targeted killings, and attacks linked to criminal group disputes, heightening public concern. During the meeting with national government officials, Mayor Char candidly acknowledged the gap between institutional efforts and public expectations. "Barranquilla has provided the police with the motorcycles they ask for, the vehicles, the radios, the computers, the cameras, but we see that the results are not what people are demanding," Char stated, reflecting a widespread sentiment of frustration.

Camelo's command faced significant challenges, including high-profile security incidents in the Barranquilla metropolitan area. The mayor's explicit acknowledgment of the disconnect between resource allocation and tangible security improvements highlights the pressure on law enforcement to deliver more effective results in combating crime.

Barranquilla has provided the police with the motorcycles they ask for, the vehicles, the radios, the computers, the cameras, but we see that the results are not what people are demanding.

— Alejandro CharMayor of Barranquilla, expressing frustration over security outcomes despite resource provision.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Tiempo in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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