In 2001, the Attorney General’s Office signed a cooperation agreement with the National Police, Ecopetrol and the Revolving Fund of the National Police to create seven support structures (EDA) in strategic regions of the country with the purpose of advancing investigations for crimes such as hydrocarbons seizure and terrorist attacks against oil and energy infrastructure, among others.
Support Structures created were installed in: Arauca (Arauca), Cúcuta (Norte de Santander), Puerto Berrio (Antioquia), Barrancabermeja (Santander), Orito (Putumayo), Tumaco (Nariño) and Cali (Valle).
This institutional model allowed the Attorney General’s Office to improve its research capacity in the fight against organized crime, as well as generate tools for criminal policy formulation in the regions where these support structures were installed.
Agreement extension
Now, in an extension of the cooperation agreement signed between the same entities, the Attorney General’s Office created three new support structures which will be located in the municipalities of Saravena (Arauca), Yopal (Casanare) and Villavicencio (Meta).
Its scope is broader now and for this reason its officers have jurisdiction to investigate crimes such as kidnapping, murder, extortion, environment damage, hydrocarbons empowerment, conspiracy to commit a crime and terrorist attacks against oil and energy infrastructure, among others, with which the Attorney seeks to reduce criminality levels in the oil regions.
Saravena (Arauca) Support Structure have jurisdiction in the municipality and the residents of Fortul and Tame, while Yopal and Villavicencio have jurisdiction in Casanare and Meta Departaments, respectively.
Besides the creation of these new structures of support, the Attorney General’s Office appointed new teams of attorneys and judicial police agents of Bacrim and Gaula groups to strengthen Arauca (Arauca) , Barrancabermeja (Santander) and Orito (Putumayo) EDA, with the purpose of investigating crimes as kidnapping and extortion, as well as prosecute the members of the so-called criminal gangs that are present in these regions.
Almost 1,500 detainees in last years
The action carried out by the different support structures in the country allowed the capture and prosecution of 1495 people between 2005 and last September, which were linked to crime investigations against the country’s oil infrastructure.
In the same period, assigned to EDA Attorneys, made 813 imputations, which allowed 934 detainees were involved with security measures for guarantees control judges.
In terms of crime reduction of crime rate, the Attorney’s Office and the national police figures indicate that the oil theft dropped to 7270 barrels per day in 2002 to 21 barrels per day to June 2013 (the figures are counted as calendar day), which indicates this crime reduction in 95%. Also, between 2002 and 2012 for this crime losses were reduced $ 106 million dollars a year to $ 1.1 million.
Thus, with the cooperation agreement extension, the Attorney General’s Office receives a fundamental impulse to continue confronting organized crime throughout the country.