This was acknowledged by Interior Minister Carlos Negro during an appearance before the Security Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.

Negro said it would be “a slight increase,” although he added that “the overall trend for crime will continue to be downward.”

The first quarter of the year saw a 9.2% decrease in homicides compared to the same period in 2015, according to data from the Interior Ministry released in April.

During his address, the minister referred to the operation carried out the previous day in the Montevideo neighborhoods of Borro and La Chancha, where police killed a 16-year-old.

According to the ministry, one of the officers conducting the raid encountered the teenager pointing a gun at him, so he fired.

At the house where the teenager was located, authorities seized weapons—with altered serial numbers—and magazines to increase their firing capacity.

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