Police officers risk their lives to stop criminals who get out of jail five minutes after they are caught and then wait for a trial that never comes, Security Secretary Sergio Berni has said defending the bill that aims at speeding up judicial process and involves the possibility of deporting foreigners when they are caught committing a crime.
“When you go out to commit a crime and you have a family, you should put up with it,” Berni told reporters this morning when he was queried about some criticism by the Center of Legal and Social Studies (CELS) that said the new legislation would lead to the separation of families in the case of criminals who are deported and have their relatives living in Argentina.
“It is us that have to adapt ourselves to the (personal) situation of criminals; it’s all upside down (…). We have to adapt to the needs of criminals,” the secretary said ironically and denied the government was seeking to persecute foreigners.
Main criticism to the project was led by CELS director and journalist Horacio Verbitsky of the Página 12 newspaper, who has instead defended most of the government’s projects. “I don’t read Verbitsky,” Berni said but pointed out he is “a citizen who has all his liberty to express his opinion, like the rest of the 39 million of Argentineans.”
“The motochorro is in jailed due to media pressure. The motochorro next year has more possibilities of being in a TV show dancing rather than in jail,” the security chief insisted now alluding to the case of Gastón Aguirre who was driving his motorcycle – here they are known as “motochorros” – and attempted to rob a tourist who recorded the moment of the attack with his cell phone.
The video went viral and a debate started because Aguirre was then caught by the police but not jailed because of the tourist incident but during a demonstration to demand justice.
buenosairesherald.com