The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) on the island, Douglas Leff, acknowledged that for the past few weeks the main safety problem on the island is street violence.
Figures from the Police Dept. show that in the first days of the new year, 19 murders have been reported.
“Two or three years ago I would have said that corruption, money laundering and gang violence, likewise, but because of the events witnessed in the last two weeks we will have to say that violence is the number one problem at this moment,” he said in radio interview.
The FBI Director’s expressions contrast with what the secretary of the Department of Public Security , Héctor Pesquera, said yesterday about the safety of the island.
“If it’s by the numbers, we’re better than last year. It’s semantics … the governor and myself, everybody takes this seriously, it’s not a passing thing, “Pesquera said.
Leff said it is imperative that federal and state agencies work together “to reduce violent crimes.”
The director of the FBI established that when the island reaches levels of violence such as those experienced so far this year, investigations always point to “gangs.”
“Fortunately for us and for the people of Puerto Rico the prosecution is very aggressive with the use of federal laws to confront this type of crime. There are many occasions in which federal laws can be used and when there is an opportunity the prosecution has shown that it will use federal laws, he stated, indicating that federal agencies will also address crimes of gender violence.
Leff noted that the number of murders show a reduction compared to last year and that the police has fewer agents in the streets than last year.
Last year, In 2018 to this date, 30 homicides had been reported.
