La seguridad ciudadana en Medellín (2016-2019): estrategias para la lucha contra el crimen organizado

The administration of Federico Gutiérrez (2016-2019) made citizen security its flagship issue. Given that a large part of Colombia's criminal structures are concentrated in this city, the mayor's strategy was developed along three lines of action. First, he sought to strengthen the information systems and technological tools at the service of the Security Secretariat and the police. Second, the mayor promoted greater inter-agency and territorial coordination with the aim of capturing the city's criminal structure leaders. Third, he made an effort to give continuity to the attention given to the vulnerable population.
This chapter seeks to take stock of the work carried out by the Gutiérrez administration in the field of security in Medellín. For its study, we will proceed in three parts. First, an account of the contributions of his predecessors since 2001 is presented. Secondly, the main challenges related to criminal structures in the city are presented, and the mayor's main lines of action are analysed. Finally, the report explains the changes that have taken place in terms of security, the efforts made in this area1 and their impact, especially on vulnerable populations.