El Salvador police report says crackdown leaves 43,000 tied to gangs still free

FILE PHOTO: Policemen prepare for an anti-gang patrol following a year-long state of emergency against gangs, in Soyapango, El Salvador March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - A confidential intelligence document from El Salvador's National Civil Police shows that after a year and a half of a gang crackdown, police believe nearly 43,000 people allegedly connected to gangs have yet to be detained.

The 19-page document, first reported by InSight Crime and independently obtained by Reuters and confirmed authentic by police, is dated Sept. 1, 2023 and titled "State of Gangs in the Context of the State of Exception."