By Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES, Jan 7 1998 (IPS)

Violence is on the rise in Argentina and, in the past few months citizens have been become more and more fearful of being assaulted – even killed – by assailants.

In Buenos Aires, the nation’s capital, more than half the households of the city keep a gun handy. Robbery is a daily occurence with increasing numbers of victims being held up at gunpoint on the street and in restaurants, taxis, even when riding bicycles or entering or leaving home. Thieves break into houses, often leaving their victims wounded and, in some cases, dead.

“The problem now is that they not only rob you, they kill you too”, said one woman who lives in Villa Urquiza, once considered a “safe” neighbourhood. The previous week, two people had been killed on their doorsteps in the same area.

Gone are the times when neighbors would come on the street in the evening and sit in chairs chatting. The daily task of sweeping the sidewalk, another time when neighbors would exchange gossip, is now performed with lighning speed.

Taking out the garbage or coming out to say good-bye to a friend and leaving the door open for a second, or going out to get the mail, could be the last act in the life of an unfortunate resident of the capital and its suburbs in the past few months.

Among those who have not been assaulted, customs are changing. Parents are not allowing their small children to go out on their bicycles, for fear that they will be attacked and robbed. But even children on foot are assaulted and robbed of their jackets, watches and sneakers.

Business owners in the capital and its surroundings are already tired of counting the times that their windows have been broken and their stores robbed of merchandise, or their locks forced open, or, in a moment of distraction when the door is left open, armed thieves come in and steal cash from the register.

The wave of violent assaults reached its climax in December, when the police of Buenos Aires province began a restructuring process. The force has been under scrutiny because of continual allegations of corruption.

The reforms began on Dec. 22, when a civilian was appointed chief of the police. Restructuring includes the disbandment of the brigades, a decentralization of the force, an increase in the number of street patrols and a reduction of guards at fixed points and their replacement with private security guards.

In the past, many retired commissioners and military officers have sought employment in private security agencies, which are contracted mainly in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, in banks, discos and jewelry and other luxury stores.

Lately, letter carriers also are accompanied by private security guards. One woman told of the time she came out to receive a delivery from a postal worker. As she was signing, she saw a man hiding behind a tree on the sidewalk.

“Don’t worry, madam. He’s my security guard”, said the postal worker.

Robbery with violence has increased incessantly in the last five years and the number of fatal victims reached 60 in 1997. It is a vicious circle as the more aggressive the assailants, the more the potential victims become armed, for fear of being attacked. Knowing that their victims are armed, criminals are quick to fire and so the upward spiral of violence continues.

Only seven months ago, lack of security occupied seventh place among the concerns of Argentineans, according to a survey conducted by the Center for the Study of the New Majority. That same issue jumped up to second place in December.

The fear of becoming a victim of assault has not only forced residents to resort to costly systems of alarms and surveillance cameras, but also to gates and closed neighborhoods with private security besides firearms.

In Villa Urquiza, one resident witnessed the death by gunfire of a woman who was saying good-bye to her daughter on New Year’s Eve. She herself admitted to firing her gun into the air when she hears someone trying to enter into her patio from the roof.

According to the National Register of Firearms, between 1996 and 1997 the number of registered units went from 1.46 to 1.66 million. In addition, there are about two million guns circulating on the black market, according to government figures confirmed by the chief of staff of the City of Buenos Aires.

The government report indicates that in Buenos Aires only, half of the households have guns. It has become increasingly common to hear gunfire at night in residential neighborhoods, or to be a victim of an assault in a restaurant, both at night and during the day.

Attorney Olga Puente explains that the current crime wave is characterized by a surge of violence. “The aim is not only to steal something, but also to discharge hostile feelings,” she said.

That is the explanation for crimes such as the recent case of an eight-year-old child, who was sitting in a car next to his father. As father and child entered the garage, two armed robbers tried to steal the car. When the driver tried to get away, they shot the child in the head and fled.

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