GOC PRIVATIZATION OF PROTECTION PROGRAM

UNCLAS BOGOTA 000305

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL ECON SOCI CO
SUBJECT: GOC PRIVATIZATION OF PROTECTION PROGRAM
CONTROVERSIAL

SUMMARY
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1. (U) Interior and Justice Minister (MOIJ) Fabio Valencia
announced January 26 that the GOC-funded and administered
protection program for at-risk individuals, including
unionists and human rights defenders, will be contracted out
to a private security firm starting January, 2010. The body
guard program is currently administered by the Department of
Administrative Security (DAS). Unionists and human rights
groups oppose the move, noting the protection of citizens is
a state responsibility. Presidential Human Rights Director
Carlos Franco told us the private option would be cheaper and
more efficient, and would provide participants the same level
of protection they currently enjoy. It would also address
union complaints that the intelligence service (DAS) should
not be involved in protection. END SUMMARY.

PROTECTION PROGRAM BACKGROUND
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2. (U) The MOIJ protection program provides services to over
8517 vulnerable and threatened individuals, including
politicians, opposition groups, civic and local leaders,
unionists, peasant leaders, human rights activists, and
ethnic minorities. Approximately 1460 of the participants
are unionists. The protection program's annual budget for
2008 was about 82.2 billion Colombian pesos (about 41 million
USD)--Minister Valencia said the 2009 budget will be 90
billion pesos (about 45 million USD). No one enrolled in the
protection program in 2008 was killed.


3. (U) The protection schemes offered by the program are
either hard or soft. Hard protection measures include body
guards, weapons, bullet-proof vests, armored doors/buildings,
armored vehicles, rental vehicles, and international plane
tickets to leave the country. Soft protection measures
include communication equipment and economic assistance for
temporary domestic relocations. The DAS and the Colombian
National Police (CNP) are responsible for completing a risk
analysis study to determine whether soft or hard protection
measures are required on a case-by-case basis. Since 2003,
no one with hard protection measures has been killed.

WHY PRIVATIZE?
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4. (U) MOIJ Minister Valencia announced January 26 that the
protection program will be contracted out to a private
security firm starting January, 2010. Franco said the GOC
wants a cheaper but equally effective option. He noted the
change should not come as a surprise--discussions on how to
improve the GOC protection program began in 2002 when the
United Nations, the GOC, and human rights groups agreed the
following issues needed to be addressed: body guards needed
more professional training, the GOC needed to provide
mandatory social security benefits to the body guards, and
there should be a separation between the intelligence
services (DAS) and the protection services. Based on these
concerns, the GOC has offered beneficiaries the option of
moving to the contracted service on a voluntary basis, with
Inspector General (Procuraduria) oversight. He said the GOC
has already moved many of the at-risk groups to the private
security firms through a successful pilot project--now the
unionists and human rights groups will be included.



5. (U) Under the existing scheme, the MOIJ transfers funds
to the DAS to administer the body guard program, while the
most sensitive protection cases are given to the CNP.
Currently, the DAS body guards can be selected by the
threatened individuals. They are not DAS direct-hires, but
instead are given three-month contracts. Franco said the GOC
wants to end this practice, since it violates its own labor
code. The GOC does not pay mandatory social security
contributions to the bodyguards on the three-month contracts.
DAS added that the bodyguards--who are not DAS
employees--generate a disproportionate number of public
complaints about DAS behavior.


6. (U) Franco also told us the state institutions could not
cope with the steep expansion rate of the protection
program--the protection program budget is now 25 times larger
than what it was in 2000. MOIJ Protection Program Director
Rafael Bustamante told us in 2000 the program protected 880

individuals; now they are responsible for over 9000. Franco
said that to meet the demands of current approved
applications, the program needs to hire another 1000
bodyguards. Franco voiced concern that the growing
protection program responsibilities diverted valuable
investigative and crime-fighting resources away from the DAS
and CNP, noting the DAS currently dedicates substantial
administrative resources to the program. DAS officials tell
us they want to end their involvement in protection work and
focus their resources on intelligence activities.

NOT PROTECTED?
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7. (SBU) The largest labor confederation--the United Workers
Confederation (CUT)--rejected the GOC plan, calling it a a
"time bomb." General Workers Confederation (CGT) President
Julio Roberto Gomez voiced concern that both the GOC and the
private firms will shirk their protection responsibilities.
The CUT said the GOC is insincere when it hides behind
protecting workers' rights (i.e. the body guards' social
security payments.)--the state not only avoided paying social
security taxes for many years, but now it is leaving at-risk
unionists stranded. Former CUT President Carlos Rodriguez
said the unionists previously complained that the DAS used
the program to spy on them, so it is ironic they now oppose
the new system. Valencia Cossio and Franco stressed that the
transition will be gradual and will not result in a
diminution in protection of at risk individuals.




BROWNFIELD