On Monday, as part of the province's significant investment in prison infrastructure, Governor Maximiliano Pullaro inaugurated pavilions 8 and 9 at Penitentiary Unit 10 in Santa Felicia, Vera department.
An investment of $1.441 million enables the transfer of 199 inmates from police stations in the Regional Units of Garay, General Obligado, 9 de Julio, San Cristobal, San Javier, San Justo, and Vera. The new facilities can accommodate 200 inmates, increasing the total capacity of this unit to 622 places.
Pullaro stated that the commissioning of these two pavilions marks the first steps towards easing prison officers' workload, leading to greater peace in our province. For years, serious and violent crimes were often orchestrated from prison, making it seem like the State was fighting organised crime blindly. However, with determination and adherence to the law, we quickly brought order to the prison system.
"Subsequently," he explained, "the criminal organizations exceeded all boundaries in their attempts to pressure the government into reversing our public policies. However, they failed to recognize that we had substantial support from the Santa Fe community".
The president emphasized the work of the security forces: "Police personnel have maintained control of the streets. While acknowledging that the battle is not yet won, there has been significant progress, and much remains to be done. Currently, Santa Fe has a lower crime rate than the national average, after years of being frequently mentioned in Buenos Aires media as a province affected by organized crime. Members of the Police and Penitentiary Service have demonstrated that this perception was incorrect and that effective State intervention is possible".
Pullaro stated that "the public security policy is founded on three main areas: management of the prison system, police presence on the streets, and increased preventive patrolling. These objectives were met through the strategic allocation of resources, based on criminal analysis data."
He stated: "In the past century, 3,700 cells were built in Santa Fe. In four years, we will surpass that, expanding existing units and constructing new prisons, including Piñero, which will be the first high-profile facility with a capacity for 1,152 detainees".
He announced upcoming infrastructure improvements for northern Santa Fe: "In September, Route 3 will be inaugurated, connecting four towns. Our commitment to investing in the provincial north continues. We view infrastructure as a catalyst for development and public works as a mechanism for achieving equality".
Penitentiary Infrastructure
Justice Minister Pablo Cococcioni stated: "This project was well underway but lacked proper prison security. Santa Fe's prison population is growing by three inmates daily, demanding increased efforts and ingenuity from us."
More works for the region
The Minister of Public Works, Lisandro Enrico, added: "When we took office, this work was paralysed. We have given it the pace to be able to open it today. And I want to highlight the coordinated work between all levels of government during last week's water emergency.
However, we had some problems, so we decided not to wait for Vialidad Nacional to widen the culverts and we are going to start a system of complementary works ourselves, without affecting traffic on National Route 11. We will do it through three sections of passage".
The ceremony was attended by the Secretary of Criminal Affairs, Lucia Masneri; the deputy Sergio Rojas; the Secretary of Electoral Affairs, Juliana Caillat; the senator for the department of Vera, Osvaldo Sosa; and the mayor of Vera, Paula Mitre, among other authorities.
