Police protest for better working conditions in Argentina

Hundreds of police officers on Wednesday intensified their protests in several locations of Buenos Aires province, demanding higher wages and better working conditions in the midst of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Retired and active police officers together with their families started the protests on Monday night.

The protests also moved to the proximity of President Alberto Fernández's residence, where dozens of uniformed police waved Argentine flags and played drums in front of the president's residence.

Fernandez declared "this issue cannot be solved by hiding in patrol cars and honking the horn" referring to the police protests.

The protestors have released a petition with more than a dozen claims, including a salary increase of at least 56% for some categories.

Some officers receive a 34,000 pesos salary, about 430 US dollars a month.

Protesters from the country's largest security force, - 90,000 police officers-, say they have to pay for disinfectant supply themselves, and that fellow officers who are infected are not adequately isolated.

Argentina's fragile economy has been affected by the pandemic, with inflation in the first seven months of the year approaching 16%, while 2019 saw a 53.8% increase in the cost of living, according to government official data.

The complaint came a few days after Fernández announced an anti-crime plan for the towns near Buenos Aires - chronic sources of violence - which involves the deployment of thousands of troops and funds for some 480 million dollars.

Insecurity is listed in several surveys as the most significant concern of Argentines, above the economic crisis and the pandemic.

Argentina has reported more than 500,000 cases of the new coronavirus and about 10,500 deaths.