La gobernanza democrática de la seguridad privada en Costa Rica : retos y claves para su mejora
Fecha
2017-11
Autores
Fonseca Hernández, Raúl Gerardo
Cascante Segura, Carlos Humberto
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Editor
Friedrich Ebert-Stiftung (FES)
Resumen
La seguridad privada constituye un tema recurrente en la agenda de política pública costarricense. A mediados del año 2016, una investigación periodística determinó que un alto porcentaje de las empresas que brindaban este servicio en Costa Rica se encontraban en la informalidad (La Nación, 2016). Indudablemente, el incremento de las empresas que ofrecen distintos servicios de seguridad es un eje alrededor del cual se ha avanzado poco en los últimos diez años. A principios de este siglo fue necesaria una primera generación de políticas alrededor de tales empresas y es necesario iniciar un segundo proceso de políticas que, por un lado, actualicen la gobernanza e institucionalidad en la materia y, por otro lado, renueven la gestión y la regulación de tales servicios. En este sentido, el país ha experimentado la necesidad, en diversas ocasiones, de comprender este fenómeno y regularlo. Incluso han existido intentos de renovación normativa que ha sido frenada por distintas razones, lo que ha llevado a diversos grupos a señalar que las propuestas de solución deben establecerse mediante directrices emanadas por el Ministerio de Seguridad Pública. Así, el debate más importante dentro de este contexto se relaciona con el acceso de la ciudadanía a los servicios de seguridad, la capacidad del Estado para garantizarlo y la supervisión del Ente Público hacia los prestadores del servicio privado, de tal forma que este se brinde bajo requisitos mínimos que eviten consecuencias negativas, tales como el ofrecimiento ilegal del servicio, el descontrol en el uso y registro de armas, el crecimiento desmedido del número de oficiales, así como deficiencias en la capacitación y los derechos laborales de estas personas.
De tal manera, el desequilibrio entre capacidades estatales de control de la seguridad privada y el desarrollo del sector requiere de nuevas propuestas que se inserten en las agendas y las propuestas programáticas partidarias, que impidan el incremento de los índices de violencia y descontrol que el crecimiento descontrolado de este tipo de empresas ha causado en América Latina.
Private security is a recurring issue on the Costa Rican public policy agenda. In mid-2016, a journalistic investigation determined that a high percentage of the companies providing this service in Costa Rica were in the informal sector (La Nación, 2016). Undoubtedly, the increase in the number of companies offering different security services is an axis around which little progress has been made in the last ten years. A first generation of policies around such companies was necessary at the beginning of this century and it is necessary to initiate a second process of policies that, on the one hand, update governance and institutionality in the matter and, on the other hand, renew the management and regulation of such services. In this sense, the country has experienced the need, on several occasions, to understand this phenomenon and regulate it. There have even been attempts at regulatory renewal that have been stopped for different reasons, which has led various groups to point out that the proposed solutions should be established through guidelines issued by the Ministry of Public Security. Thus, the most important debate within this context is related to the access of citizens to security services, the capacity of the State to guarantee it and the supervision of the Public Entity towards private service providers, so that this is provided under minimum requirements to avoid negative consequences, such as the illegal offering of the service, the lack of control in the use and registration of weapons, the excessive growth in the number of officers, as well as deficiencies in the training and labor rights of these people. Thus, the imbalance between state capacities to control private security and the development of the sector requires new proposals to be inserted in the agendas and programmatic proposals of political parties, to prevent the increase in the rates of violence and lack of control that the uncontrolled growth of this type of companies has caused in Latin America.
Private security is a recurring issue on the Costa Rican public policy agenda. In mid-2016, a journalistic investigation determined that a high percentage of the companies providing this service in Costa Rica were in the informal sector (La Nación, 2016). Undoubtedly, the increase in the number of companies offering different security services is an axis around which little progress has been made in the last ten years. A first generation of policies around such companies was necessary at the beginning of this century and it is necessary to initiate a second process of policies that, on the one hand, update governance and institutionality in the matter and, on the other hand, renew the management and regulation of such services. In this sense, the country has experienced the need, on several occasions, to understand this phenomenon and regulate it. There have even been attempts at regulatory renewal that have been stopped for different reasons, which has led various groups to point out that the proposed solutions should be established through guidelines issued by the Ministry of Public Security. Thus, the most important debate within this context is related to the access of citizens to security services, the capacity of the State to guarantee it and the supervision of the Public Entity towards private service providers, so that this is provided under minimum requirements to avoid negative consequences, such as the illegal offering of the service, the lack of control in the use and registration of weapons, the excessive growth in the number of officers, as well as deficiencies in the training and labor rights of these people. Thus, the imbalance between state capacities to control private security and the development of the sector requires new proposals to be inserted in the agendas and programmatic proposals of political parties, to prevent the increase in the rates of violence and lack of control that the uncontrolled growth of this type of companies has caused in Latin America.
Descripción
Palabras clave
COSTA RICA, DEMOCRACIA, SEGURIDAD, DEMOCRACY, SECURITY