About 124 cases of kidnappings and extortions were reported in Ecuador in this year, 17 of which were solved, while seven others are still pending for solution.

According to the Head of the Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Unit (UNASE) Hector Franco, Ecuador’s coastal region is the most affected by these crimes. This is due to the fact that most of the criminal organizations have been dismantled and therefore criminals are looking for other forms of financing, Franco told Radio Pichincha.

Ecuador is presently going through a crisis of insecurity and violence unprecedented in its history, where the number of kidnappings and other crimes are becoming more frequent, while citizens are calling for pressing action from the government to curb the situation.

From January to September 2023 alone, the Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Unit reported 67 cases, accounting for a 347% surge compared to 2022.

This week, the National Assembly gave the green light for a constitutional reform to support the Armed Forces in the work of the National Police.

The reform proposal was raised by former president Guillermo Lasso in December 2022, after the Constitutional Court denied the issue to go to consultation.

The deputies proposed that Article 158 of the Constitution include a text allowing the Armed Forces to provide “complementary support” to the National Police, which are in charge of internal protection and maintenance of public order.

Subsequently, this text must go to the Constitutional Court, which in this case must review the question and the content of the article approved by the Assembly.