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Peru's president begins term with focus on crime

Xinhua, July 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Peru's newly-instated President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Saturday his first measure as head of state will aim to cut crime in the short term.

"The first step we are going to take is to see how we can, in the short term, improve the situation of citizen security," Kuczynski told reporters, following a religious ceremony in the capital Lima.

Accompanied by members of his cabinet, Kuczynski, who took office on Friday, spoke to reporters outside a religious service organized by Peru's evangelical churches, according to the state news agency Andina.

Kuczynski also made the decision to extend a state of emergency in one of the country's most crime-ridden districts, the commercial port of Callao, part of the Lima-Callao metropolitan area, by another 30 days.

For the duration of the emergency, the state suspends certain rights to carry out, for example, search and seizures of homes and weapons.

The densely populated port district has high rates of homicide, as well as assaults, drug trafficking, extortion and other crimes.

Kuczynski indicated the measure was preventative and not meant to last for an extended period of time, since "it takes more police to Callao and reduces the number of police at another site. It's not a sustainable situation."

For a more long-term solution, the president said he will meet with his Interior Minister to map out a strategy to curb the rise in crime. Enditem