This was stated by Interior Minister Carlos Negro during a presentation at the Chamber of Commerce of Ciudad de la Costa, Canelones department.

The senior official warned about the magnitude of the problem and announced that disarmament will be one of the pillars of the security plan the government will soon present.

He explained that there are one million illegal weapons in the hands of Uruguayans.

Among the Interior Ministry’s priorities, he mentioned combating homicides, crime prevention, violent coexistence, and the prison system.

Negro announced that next Thursday he will attend the Parliamentary Commission on the Penitentiary System to raise his “concern about the serious situation in prisons,” with 16,700 people deprived of their liberty.

This is one of the highest prison population rates in the world.

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