I am on your side, not on the side of criminals
En una provincia argentina que busca restablecer la confianza entre el Estado y sus fuerzas de seguridad, el gobernador Claudio Poggi inauguró instalaciones policiales renovadas en San Luis como señal de una apuesta institucional más profunda. Más allá del cemento y los equipos nuevos, el acto condensó una promesa política: que el orden público comienza por las condiciones en que trabajan quienes deben garantizarlo. La visita personal a puestos fronterizos en estado de abandono, y la disculpa pública que de ella surgió, revelan que la modernización no es solo discurso, sino también reconocimiento de una deuda pendiente.
- El gobernador encontró puestos fronterizos en condiciones tan precarias que pidió disculpas públicamente, admitiendo que el Estado había fallado a los propios agentes encargados de proteger a la ciudadanía.
- La tensión entre una policía históricamente politizada y la promesa de despolitizar su conducción marca el centro del desafío: Poggi declaró que los oficiales deben poder pensar y votar libremente, sin que eso condicione sus carreras.
- La provincia avanza en una estrategia de modernización integral que incluye vehículos, sistemas de comunicación, la Academia Policial y el servicio penitenciario, apostando a que la infraestructura es el piso mínimo de cualquier política de seguridad.
- El gobernador cerró su discurso con una declaración de lealtad institucional explícita —'estoy de su lado, no del lado de los delincuentes'— fijando una expectativa recíproca de profesionalismo y vocación de servicio público.
Un martes de mayo, el gobernador Claudio Poggi inauguró en San Luis la nueva sede de la Unidad Regional I de Orden Público y la base operativa del Centro de Radio Comando. El acto fue menos una ceremonia protocolar que una declaración de intenciones: su administración había hecho de la policía una prioridad, y pensaba sostenerla.
Poggi repasó las obras ya realizadas —la Jefatura de Camineros, reparaciones en la sede central— para argumentar que los espacios físicos no son un lujo sino una condición de posibilidad. Un cuerpo policial con instalaciones dignas, sostuvo, puede servir mejor al público. Pero fue al hablar de los puestos fronterizos de Vizcacheras y Justo Daract donde su tono cambió: los había visitado personalmente y lo que encontró lo llevó a pedir disculpas en nombre del Estado. Que los agentes hubieran trabajado en esas condiciones le resultaba difícil de creer. El gobierno ya había iniciado un plan de mejora para esos puntos estratégicos, anunció, aunque el peso del abandono previo quedó flotando en el aire.
La renovación inaugurada y las reparaciones fronterizas son piezas de una estrategia más amplia: incorporación de vehículos y motos, modernización de comunicaciones, inversión en la Academia Policial y en el servicio penitenciario. La infraestructura no resuelve sola los problemas de seguridad, pero Poggi argumentó que sin ella nada más funciona.
Al dirigirse directamente a los oficiales presentes, el gobernador fue más explícito. Prometió despolitizar la conducción policial —cada agente podría pensar y votar como quisiera— y mejorar sustancialmente las condiciones de sus carreras durante su gestión. A cambio, les pidió profesionalismo y compromiso con el servicio público. 'Mi apoyo absoluto a la fuerza de seguridad', dijo. 'Estoy de su lado, no del lado de los delincuentes.' Era un respaldo que también era una exigencia.
On a Tuesday afternoon in late May, Governor Claudio Poggi stood in a renovated police building in San Luis to mark the opening of the province's new Regional Unit I for Public Order and the Radio Command operational base. The event was less about ribbon-cutting ceremony than about what the governor wanted to signal: that his administration had made the police force a priority, and that he intended to keep doing so.
Poggi spent much of his remarks thanking the people who had made the project possible—construction firms, SAPEM, and the Security Infrastructure office. But he also used the moment to frame what the renovation meant beyond new walls and better equipment. He described reclaiming a space that had sat without purpose, one that now joined other sites the government had upgraded: the Highway Patrol headquarters, repairs to the main police office, and more. The physical improvements mattered, he said, because they allowed officers to work more efficiently, with better logistics and more comfortable surroundings. A police force with decent facilities, he implied, was a police force that could actually serve the public.
Yet the governor's tone shifted when he turned to the province's border posts. He had visited Vizcacheras and Justo Daract himself, and what he found troubled him enough to apologize on behalf of the state. The conditions were so poor he said he could barely believe officers had been working there at all. Without proper buildings, equipment, and technology, he argued, no one could do their job well or deliver real security. The government had already begun a plan to upgrade these strategic points, he announced, but the acknowledgment of past neglect hung in the air.
The renovation and the border post repairs were pieces of a larger security strategy the province was pursuing. The administration was adding vehicles, motorcycles, and trucks to the police fleet. It was modernizing communication systems. It was investing in the Police Academy and the prison service. Infrastructure alone would not solve security problems, but Poggi seemed to be arguing that without it, nothing else mattered much.
When Poggi turned directly to the officers in the room, his language became more pointed. He said he was giving the police his absolute support, and he wanted to be clear about what that meant. He had made depoliticizing the police leadership a priority—officers should not have to worry about which party their commanders favored, he said. Each person could think and vote as they wished. What he would ask and demand of them was simple: do the job of security with professionalism and a commitment to public service. "My absolute support to the security force," he said. "I am on your side, not on the side of criminals."
He promised to work alongside the police, to be found "working shoulder to shoulder" with them. And he made a commitment about their futures. The officers had careers ahead of them, he said, and during his time in office he would substantially improve the conditions of those careers. It was a pledge that mixed support with expectation—backing the institution while making clear what he wanted in return.
Citações Notáveis
How could they have been working in those conditions? You cannot work or provide good service without proper buildings, equipment, and technology.— Governor Claudio Poggi, on conditions at border posts
My absolute support to the security force. I am on your side, not on the side of criminals.— Governor Claudio Poggi, addressing police officers
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did the governor feel the need to apologize for the border posts? Was this a sudden discovery or something everyone already knew?
It seems like something the administration knew about but hadn't fully confronted until Poggi visited himself. The apology signals a shift—acknowledging past failure as a way to justify present action. It's also a way of saying: this is not normal, and we're fixing it.
When he says he's "on your side, not on the side of criminals," is he responding to something specific? Does the police force feel unsupported?
That phrasing suggests there's been tension—maybe criticism of police tactics, or the force feeling caught between public pressure and political pressure. By drawing that line so clearly, he's trying to give them cover. He's saying: I won't second-guess you.
The depoliticization comment—is that real or performative?
It's probably both. Removing party loyalty from police leadership is genuinely important for institutional health. But saying it publicly also signals to officers that they won't face retaliation for their political beliefs, which implies that fear existed before.
What does the career improvement promise actually mean?
Likely better pay, benefits, training opportunities, promotion pathways. It's a way of saying the government sees police work as a profession worth investing in, not just a cost to manage.
Is this speech about security, or about managing the police as an institution?
Both. You can't separate them. Better facilities and equipment are security tools. But the promises about support and career improvement are about making sure the institution itself is stable and loyal.