Santa Cruz Authorities Demand Action on Rising Crime: "Crime Doesn't Wait. Neither Can the State."

Authorities and civic representatives in Bolivia's Santa Cruz department are urgently demanding that the national government implement decisive measures to curb a recent surge in organized crime and violence. The escalating incidents, including several suspected assassinations, have created a climate of fear and insecurity across the region.

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I express my deep concern about the alarming escalation of violent acts that our department is experiencing. Nine murders have been registered in just five days, several of them with characteristics typical of contract killing and organized crime.

María René Álvarez, president of the Departmental Legislative Assembly of Santa Cruz, expressed deep concern over the "alarming escalation of violent acts" in the department, citing nine murders in just five days, many bearing the hallmarks of contract killings and organized crime. She specifically pointed to violent events in municipalities such as San Ignacio de Velasco, San Matías, and Yapacaní, underscoring the widespread nature of the problem.

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These events demand an immediate and coordinated response from the State. We demand the national government adopt urgent preventive measures and strengthen internal state security.

"These events demand an immediate and coordinated response from the State. We demand the national government adopt urgent preventive measures and strengthen internal state security," Álvarez stated. She further called for bolstering police intelligence, intensifying border surveillance, and ensuring that the Bolivian Police and the Public Ministry are equipped with the necessary resources to thoroughly investigate crimes, identify perpetrators, and bring them to justice.

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It is essential to reinforce police intelligence, intensify border control, firmly combat criminal organizations, and guarantee that the Public Ministry and the Bolivian Police have the necessary resources to investigate, identify, and bring those responsible to Justice.

Agustín Zambrana, vice president of the pro-Santa Cruz Committee, echoed these sentiments, criticizing the perceived delay in governmental action. The committee emphasized that "crime does not wait. The State cannot either." They stressed the importance of reinforcing intelligence, controlling borders, and firmly combating criminal organizations to ensure citizen safety. The overarching message from Santa Cruz is that public security cannot be met with indifference or delay; it requires decisive institutional coordination and concrete actions to maintain the rule of law and protect the region's productive spirit.

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We cannot allow fear to replace freedom, nor organized violence to attempt to impose itself over the rule of law. Citizen security admits no indifference or delay: it requires decision, institutional coordination, and concrete actions. Santa Cruz is a land of work, production, and hope, and it must remain so.