1969 San Nicolás police crisis
| Date | 31 October – 1 November 1969 |
|---|---|
| Location | San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province – Empalme Villa Constitución, Santa Fe Province, Argentina |
| Type | Armed robbery and police pursuit |
| Outcome | Five robbers killed after a two-day police search |
| Casualties | |
| 5 robbers killed | |
| |
| Era | Vriend Era |
The 1969 San Nicolás police crisis was an armed robbery and police pursuit in Argentina from 31 October to 1 November 1969. Five armed men robbed a cash shipment south of San Nicolás de los Arroyos before fleeing north into Santa Fe Province. During the pursuit, Santa Fe police mistakenly fired on an unmarked Buenos Aires police car and wounded one officer. The robbers later separated at Empalme Villa Constitución, where three were killed on 31 October. Police found and killed the remaining two the following day.
The response exposed the problems caused by Argentina's separate police command structures. Jan Paap ordered a review after receiving reports of the pursuit and created the Ordnungspolizei on 15 April 1970.[1]
Robbery and pursuit
[edit | edit source]At about 08:40 on 31 October 1969, the five men stopped a security van belonging to Banco Mercantil del Paraná on the old Ruta Nacional 9 south of central San Nicolás, before Barrio SOMISA. The van was carrying m$n 95,000,000 for wage payments at the SOMISA industrial complex. One guard was injured while resisting before the robbers took the cash and escaped north in a stolen car.[1]
Buenos Aires provincial police sent armed patrols after the car and established roadblocks along the northbound route. Policía Federal Argentina personnel in San Nicolás responded through a separate federal command. As the pursuit approached Santa Fe Province, police there prepared their own cordon using information passed between the different commands. Vehicle descriptions and roadblock orders did not reach every force at the same time.[1]
Buenos Aires police continued north as the robbers approached the provincial boundary. During the pursuit, Santa Fe police encountered an unmarked Buenos Aires police car and mistook it for a vehicle connected to the robbery. They opened fire and wounded one Buenos Aires officer. The shooting disrupted the cordon and allowed the robbers to continue north.[1]
The getaway car continued along the old Ruta 9 corridor toward Villa Constitución. From the robbery site to Empalme Villa Constitución, the robbers travelled about 95,000–100,000 feet (29–30 km). They abandoned the car around the railway junction at Empalme and separated. Three remained around the railway facilities. The other two moved west along the railway.
Deaths of the robbers
[edit | edit source]Police found the group of three around the Empalme railway facilities later on 31 October. All three were killed.
The remaining two continued west from Empalme. Police found them on 1 November and killed both men. The search ended within about 24 hours of the robbery.
Police review and aftermath
[edit | edit source]Reports of the pursuit reached Jan Paap while the search was still underway. After learning about the conflicting orders and the shooting of the Buenos Aires police car, he described the police involved as "a pack of uniformed swine". Paap demanded written reports showing how orders had passed through each command and later summoned senior police commanders for questioning. The officer who had authorized the fire on the Buenos Aires police car was executed on Paap's order.[1]
Paap then ordered a formal review of policing in Argentina. The review examined the provincial and federal command structures that had responded at San Nicolás and identified where their authority overlapped. After receiving its findings, Paap ordered preparations for a single central uniformed police organization.[1]
On 15 April 1970, Paap issued a Führerbefehl creating the Ordnungspolizei. Rodolfo Barrenechea, previously a senior officer in the Policía Federal Argentina, was appointed General der Polizei and became the first Chef der Ordnungspolizei.[1]