Javier Alonso, Buenos Aires Province Security Minister: "La Cámpora's electoral base wants Axel Kicillof to be president"

Minister Javier Alonso highlighted the reduction of homicides in the province of Buenos Aires to around 800 cases per year Buenos Aires Security Minister Javier Alonso defended the security policy implemented by the Province, rejected the existence of "liberated zones," and asserted that the main indicators of violence show a favorable evolution in recent years. In an interview with Infobae al Regreso, he also criticized the lack of national resources to combat drug trafficking and spoke about the internal dynamics of Peronism and Axel Kicillof's political future. Faced with the succession of robberies, home invasions, shootings, and homicides recorded in various parts of the Buenos Aires suburbs, Alonso defended the official statistics and highlighted the reduction of murders in the province's territory. "Twenty years ago we had 2,700 homicides per year in the province. Ten years ago we had 1,700. Since we've been in office, we've been at around 800. Last year we had 780. In 2022 we had 740, very low figures," he said. The official attributed part of that evolution to greater coordination among municipalities, the Buenos Aires Provincial Police, prosecutors, judges, and monitoring systems. "The characteristic achievement was having managed to align the efforts of municipal governments with the provincial government, the Police's actions with everything related to camera monitoring, and the coordination with judges, prosecutors, and many coordination tables," he explained. Minister Javier Alonso highlighted the reduction of homicides in the province of Buenos Aires to around 800 cases per year (Infobae en Vivo) Alonso also rejected the claim that there are areas of the province without police presence. "There are no liberated zones," he stated, and explained that mayors can know where each patrol car is located through a GPS system and monitor response times to 911 calls. For the minister, homicide constitutes one of the main indicators for evaluating the evolution of insecurity. "Homicide is an endpoint, the cleanest figure there is on security. When homicides go down, there is generally also a correlation in other crimes," he said. Alonso also referred to the situation in La Matanza, one of the most populous and complex districts in the province. There, he highlighted the police deployment and the results of operations carried out during the year. "In these eight months we have arrested 4,600 people in La Matanza. We have 400 vehicles patrolling La Matanza," he asserted. The official also highlighted a reduction in motor vehicle theft. According to the figures he presented, the crime fell 41% between 2024 and 2025 and fell another 15% between 2025 and 2026. He also noted a decrease in homicides during robberies: 24 cases in 2024, 18 in 2025, and 14 during the current year. "In all of September we had one homicide during a robbery," he said. Security operations in La Matanza resulted in 4,600 people arrested and the assignment of 400 patrol cars Alonso linked part of the security problems in certain neighborhoods to poverty, inequality, and lack of infrastructure. In this context, he highlighted the interventions carried out in Puerta de Hierro and San Petersburgo, where, according to him, hundreds of structures and bunkers linked to street-level drug dealing were dismantled. The fight against drug trafficking was another of the central themes of the interview. Alonso asserted that there is coordination with the national government, but criticized the amount of resources allocated to the Province. "The coordination exists; what doesn't exist are the resources," he said. The minister noted that during Patricia Bullrich's tenure at the National Ministry of Security, he held numerous meetings and shared criminal intelligence information. However, he criticized the equipment that, in his view, the Province received. "Do you know how many patrol cars the national government bought? I don't know, I haven't seen any. Bullrich announced the purchase of 90 motorcycles only once," he said. Alonso also pointed out a difference between the structure dedicated to fighting drug trafficking in the province of Buenos Aires and in Santa Fe. According to him, in Santa Fe there is one prosecutor dedicated to the fight against drugs for every 88,000 inhabitants, while in Buenos Aires territory there is one for every million. The official also stated that some recent investigations made it possible to detect networks with international connections and movements of people between different countries in the region. "The border doesn't exist," he said. Javier Alonso criticized the lack of resources sent by the national government for the fight against drug trafficking (Infobae en Vivo) Another piece of data used by Alonso to defend the security policy was the growth of the Buenos Aires prison population. "Throughout the province there are 18,000 more people in prison than when I arrived. There were 47,000 people in the penitentiary system and today there are 65,000," he said. The minister also broke down the main causes of homicides recorded in the province. According to him, 25% correspond to score-settling among criminals, linked to territorial disputes, drug trafficking, or debts; 18% are related to interpersonal conflicts, and 13% occur during robberies. Alonso added that 20% correspond to criminals killed by police, and that the rest is distributed among other categories, including femicides. Regarding gender violence, he highlighted the use of prevention devices for women who file complaints. "As soon as a woman files the complaint, an app is installed on her phone, with a panic button. Every time the abuser approaches the house, that allowed us to have a permanent presence," he explained. The interview also turned to the internal dynamics of Peronism and the political future of the Buenos Aires governor. Asked about differences with sectors of La Cámpora, Alonso distinguished between the positions of some leaders and the support that, according to him, exists among the electoral base. "La Cámpora's electoral base wants Axel Kicillof to be president," he said. The government of the province of Buenos Aires sent 21 formal requests for a meeting to President Javier Milei The minister considered that the differences within the space respond mainly to a dispute among leaders and asserted that the Buenos Aires governor is expanding his political support. "Axel is growing in each of the provinces he visits. He is growing as a hope; it is a recognition that comes from the bottom up," he said. Alonso also defended holding primary elections as a mechanism to define candidacies. "For me it would be very important for the PASO to exist, for there to be a PASO, and for candidates to be legitimized in a PASO," he said. Faced with a potential contest between Kicillof and Cristina Kirchner, he avoided anticipating a concrete electoral scenario. About the former president, he said: "I hope Cristina's situation turns out differently. Today we understand that the situation is difficult for her to be a candidate." Finally, Alonso criticized the institutional relationship with the national government and asserted that the Province has repeatedly requested a meeting with President Javier Milei. "We sent 21 letters to the President requesting a meeting," he said. The official, however, highlighted that there was coordination between the Nation and the Province to prepare the security operation planned for the visit of Pope Leo XIV. According to him, the deployment contemplates the standards required by the Vatican Guard and a special deployment for the activities planned at the Cottolengo and the mass in Luján. – Infobae accompanies you every day on YouTube with interviews, analysis, and the most important news, in a close and dynamic format. • From 7 to 9: Infobae al Amanecer: Nacho Giron, Luciana Rubinska, and Belén Escobar. • From 9 to 12: Infobae a las Nueve: Gonzalo Sánchez, Tatiana Schapiro, Ramón Indart, and Cecilia Boufflet. • From 12 to 15: Infobae al Mediodía: Maru Duffard, Andrei Serbin Pont, Fede Mayol, and Facundo Kablan. • From 15 to 18: Infobae a la Tarde: Manu Jove, Maia Jastreblansky, and Paula Guardia Bourdin; rotating during the week: Marcos Shaw, Lara López Calvo, and Tomás Trapé. • From 18 to 21: Infobae al Regreso: Gonzalo Aziz, Diego Iglesias, Malena de los Ríos, and Matías Barbería; rotating during the week: Gustavo Lazzari, Martín Tetaz, and Mica Mendelevich. 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