Fiscal General Says More Police Needed To Combat Growing Crime
The increase in crime in the country, like the brutal home invasion of former presidential candidate, Ricardo Toledo, Wednesday night, has the Fiscalía washing its hands and urging more police in the streets.

Wednesday night a group of assailants - one of the 16 years of age, two others aged 17 and 18 - broke into the Toledo home, attacking his wife, killing at point blank the maid and fatally shooting a neighbour across the street who called police.

Yesterday, Toledo, who is also a former legislator and ministro de la Presidencia in the previous government, who was not home at the time of the invasion, took the opportunity to make a call to legislators to pass tougher laws and the Fiscalía (prosecutor's office) and the courts to be tougher on criminals.

"How can it be that people like those who attacked my wife last night have a history of violence and are loose on the streets?", said Toledo in a live midday appeal on both national television news reports live from the front of his home in Rohrmoser.

Last night, the Fiscal General de la República, Francisco Dall’Anesse, said that crime would be reduced if there were more police in the streets. Dall’Anesse said that some 30 years ago there were some 6.000 police, now there are 9.000 but the population has grown to more than 4 million, not including all the illegals in the country. Also, 30 years ago there wasn't the drug problem that there is today.

Dall’Anesse feels the answer is more police and tougher laws, refusing to comment if there any changes to the Código Penal (Penal Code), saying that that is a matter of the Poder Legislativo (legislative branch of the government) and not one of the Ministerio Público.

"For me what we need is more police in the streets. Costa Ricans needs more preventive police and tougher punishment for the delinquents", said Dall’Anesse.

For her part, the Ministra de Justicia (Justice minister) and vice-president of the country, Laura Chinchilla, said that there needs an evaluation of the judicial reforms to curb crime.

At first the Toledo home invasion was thought to be a payback against the maid who had witnessed a crime on her neighbours house days earlier and had been threatened if she spoke against the criminals. Chinchilla last night rule out that possibility, agreeing that tougher measures are needed to face these types of criminals.

In all four suspects were quickly apprehended by an intensive police operation, who are now waiting a Pavas court judge to decide on a request by the Fiscalía for one years preventive detention.