As a wave of violent criminal incidents including homicides, abductions and missing person cases continues to grab public attention, the governing Briceño administration is facing mounting political pushback from the country’s main opposition bloc. During a press briefing held this week by the United Democratic Party (UDP), opposition senator Patrick Faber launched a sharp critique of the current government’s public safety strategy, arguing that the recent uptick in violent crime proves the administration has failed to retain control over national security.
Faber emphasized that criminal activity of this frequency and severity would have prompted sweeping, coordinated national intervention from previous governments, calling into question the current administration’s commitment to protecting civilian communities. Following the opposition’s accusations, local journalists directly pressed Commissioner of Police Richard Rosado to address claims that law enforcement is losing ground in the national fight against violent crime.
In his direct response, Rosado pushed back against the opposition’s criticism, noting that political factions are fully entitled to their public perspectives. He pointed out that the UDP held national power for 13 years prior to the current administration’s term, challenging the opposition to put forward concrete, actionable policy solutions instead of relying solely on criticism of ongoing efforts.
Rosado underscored that the national police department is exhausting all available resources to curb violent crime, including leveraging all legal frameworks at the force’s disposal, integrating modern digital technology into patrol and investigation work, and deploying both community-led and intelligence-driven policing strategies to keep criminal activity at a manageable level for communities across the country. Despite law enforcement’s insistence that it is operating at full capacity, questions remain among the general public over whether these current efforts are sufficient to reverse the recent rise in violent incidents and restore widespread public confidence in national safety.
This report is adapted from a transcribed broadcast of a national evening news program, released digitally on April 24, 2026.