Africa-Press – Cape verde. Deputy Euclides Silva stated this Wednesday, 10th, that Cape Verde is a safe country and one of the most peaceful in Africa and, even, compared to some developed countries, thanks to strong investments by the current Government in the security sector.
The parliamentarian from the Movement for Democracy (MpD – power) made these statements during his intervention at the opening of the debate with the Minister of Internal Administration, Paulo Rocha, proposed by the MpD.
According to the deputy, security is a primary condition for the country’s external credibility and the transmission of trust to international partners, highlighting that due to social peace and stability, Cape Verdean democracy has been increasingly consolidated more.
Tourism, he pointed out, as a driver of the Cape Verdean economy, has solidified, considering that the country is more attractive to foreign direct investment, which contributes to the growth of the economy.
“The statistics speak for themselves: according to the global organized crime index, in 2021, Cape Verde ranked as one of the 50 most effective countries in the world in combating organized crime, positioning itself as one of only five countries Africans who are part of this ranking (…) and who, at the same time, reveal strong indicators of the resilience of their public institutions”, he pointed out.
Euclides Silva stated that the MpD Government is fully aware of what it has received, where it is and where it wants to go, remembering, however, that the past inherited from PAICV governance is a record of total failure of the policies implemented for the security sector .
“It was during the PAICV government that there was a higher incidence of crime. In 2014, the highest number of homicides ever to occur in Cape Verde was recorded. There were 65 homicides, 34 of them in the city of Praia. 2015 was the worst year in history in terms of criminal incidents, with the highest number of police incidents and the highest number of criminal proceedings with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of more than 29 thousand. Those were dark times,” he stressed.
The deputy also recalled that the National Police faced serious difficulties, operating without adequate resources, such as radios, vehicles, weapons, fuel and even without uniforms, lacking a command center, video surveillance, and not having a Central Directorate specifically specialized for the criminal investigation and no prospects.
“Under the leadership of the MpD, the National Police underwent a notable transformation, with improvements in terms of its operational conditions, communications, vehicles and means of personal protection. These changes were the core for the resumption of the trajectory of decreasing crime, which had been interrupted in 2021”, he asserted, rejoicing that today, thanks to this Government, the country has a motivated National Police, with better working conditions and updates to the salary scale. .
He highlighted, on the other hand, that the qualification and creation of working conditions for security agents has been a priority of this Government, with vehicles and better conditions to combat crime, highlighting that data from the first quarter of 2023, compared to 2022, confirm a decrease in crime incidents in Cape Verde.
Euclides Silva also stated that a lot has been done, both in terms of organizing the internal security sector and at a social level, highlighting measures to requalify public spaces and neighborhoods, reinforce public lighting, reinforce and expand education mandatory and free, social inclusion policies, strengthening partnerships with NGOs, churches and associations.
“By 2030, the aim is to place Cape Verde among the top 10 African countries in terms of combating accidents and reducing the number of deaths on the roads. We also aim, in the 2030 horizon, for an increasingly safe environment in Cape Verde, which promotes the full development and prosperity of citizens, in a context of peace, security and conscious and participatory exercise of citizenship, as well as respect for fundamental rights” , he reiterated.
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