In an effort to strengthen security in Colombia's second largest city, 500 police officers arrived in Medellin Thursday for the holiday season.
The officers were dispatched to reinforce the nearly 8,000 uniformed members of the Medellin Metropolitan Police.
"I hope the community continues... to provide all the support that is needed to keep fighting a common enemy that is crime, that is insecurity," said General Yesid Vasquez, the city's chief of police.
As part of the security reinforcement, Mayor Alonso Salazar allocated 45 motorcycles to speed up police mobility.
The arrival of the police back-ups will also be used to increase the offensive against Medellin's leading crime bosses, aliases "Sebastion" and "Mi Sangre," according to news station Teleantioquia Noticias.
