Venezuelan police officers arrested over alleged looting after earthquakes

Anger at authorities and government grows as local people, volunteers and rescue teams continue search for survivors.

CARACAS: Four Venezuelan police officers have been arrested and are facing dismissal after being accused of looting cash from the rubble of a building that collapsed during last week’s devastating twin earthquakes.

Local people and national and international rescue teams continue to search for survivors in the aftermath of the back-to-back quakes, which have killed almost 2,000 people, injured more than 10,000, and left tens of thousands missing. Videos shared widely on social media showed angry residents trying to stop members of the scientific, penal and criminalistic investigation service corps (CICPC) helping themselves to a safe full of dollars from a ruined building in the hard-hit state of La Guaira.

In a formal statement, the CICPC confirmed that four officers had been arrested and relieved of their duties, and disciplinary action for their immediate dismissal had begun. The agency stated that the group of officers had deviated from their duties, taking advantage of the rescue and humanitarian aid efforts to act improperly by appropriating valuables found among the rubble. The leadership condemned the individual conduct as reprehensible and contrary to the fundamental values of their doctrine, noting that it directly undermines the institution’s prestige and public respect.

Although a three year old boy was pulled alive from the rubble of a building in La Guaira on Tuesday, hopes of finding more survivors are dwindling. Meanwhile, public anger over the slow pace of the government’s rescue effort, and over the conduct of some members of the military and police, is growing across the affected regions. Volunteers, many equipped with little more than shovels, ropes, and their bare hands, state they are doing everything they can to locate survivors while accusing some Venezuelan military and police personnel of looting, blocking aid, and co-opting donations.

On Wednesday, hundreds of volunteers were still streaming into La Guaira, the disaster’s ground zero, to offer their support. Despite initial messages of appreciation for civilian volunteers, the government restricted public access to La Guaira on Friday, enraging people trying to help find survivors. One government employee stationed at a checkpoint in La Guaira reported witnessing police officers and military personnel commandeer aid from three trucks carrying supplies, bragging about what they had managed to secure.

Senior government officials have blamed misinformation for the growing civilian anger and reports of military involvement in looting and slow aid. They have urged the public to ignore manipulation strategies on social networks and rely strictly on official information. However, volunteer rescuers state they see little evidence of the authorities rushing to help a week after the disaster hit. Teams have spent days shifting rubble and listening intently for sounds of life under the hot Caribbean sun, but they still lack the heavy equipment necessary to manage the destruction.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude shocks, representing one of the worst earthquake disasters in Latin American history, collapsed entire residential complexes on 24 June. Preliminary analysis of satellite data suggests that more than 58,000 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed in the quake, significantly dwarfing the official estimates of the devastation provided by the local authorities.