Rosario police revolt over pay, mental health demands

Dozens of police officers in Rosario staged a revolt midweek demanding higher wages and improved mental health support.

Despite talks between the provincial government and protests, the demonstrations were continuing Wednesday with those rallying dissatisfied with the response from authorities.

Around 200 people, including retired officers and relatives, remained outside the city’s police headquarters until well after midnight on Tuesday, burning car tyres in front of the building in Argentina’s most crime-affected city. 

A handful of patrol cars and police motorbikes sounded their sirens a few metres away in a show of support.

Among those holding the vigil was Néstor, a 68-year-old retired officer who declined to give his surname for fear of reprisals. He told local journalists that his grandson, also a police officer, took his own life in May 2025.

He said the young man was “driven by this corrupt system, by so much pressure – personal but institutional as well: the money isn’t enough, you have to work overtime, and you have a family to support.”

Amid the smell of burning rubber, banners read “Without decent wages there is no mental health” and another, shaped like a cross, bore around 20 names of officers who died by suicide or while on duty, protesters told reporters.

After negotiations with the Santa Fe Province government that stretched into the early hours of Wednesday, Gabriel Sarla – a former police officer and lawyer acting as an intermediary for the demonstrators – told the assembled crowd that there had been no significant progress.

“We’re leaving somewhat downcast, empty-handed, because the central issue – salaries – could not be addressed. We have no offer to bring back,” he said.

“I don’t see many happy faces, so I imagine this will continue as it has so far,” he added.

After hearing Sarla’s update, demonstrators gathered in circles and agreed to continue the protests on Wednesday. They were also considering blocking family visits to inmates at a prison located on the same premises as police headquarters.

Dispute

On Wednesday evening, Santa Fe Governor Maximiliano Pullaro of Santa Fe acknowledged the protests and signalled a shift in the provincial response. He described the officers’ actions as legitimate and said the government recognised the need to listen to their concerns.

“The protest was just and genuine … deserving of being heard,” Pullaro said, adding that “no police officer in the province will earn less than 1,350,000 pesos” once new salary measures take effect.

Pullaro’s remarks were made at a press conference at Government Seat in Rosario, where he said new salary increases would be formalised by decree. He framed the action as necessary to defuse the conflict and underlined that the dialogue remained open with security forces.

Following the protest, which began on Monday, at least 20 officers were suspended and ordered to hand in their firearms and bulletproof vests. The lifting of those sanctions is another of the protesters’ demands.

Esteban Santantino, an official at the Santa Fe Province Justice and Security Ministry, told reporters on Tuesday that he recognised the “legitimate” nature of the demands and regretted that, “in the context of this conflict,” protesters lacked a proper “channel for dialogue.”

“Perhaps by improving certain aspects of communication channels we will of course be able to unlock this conflict,” he said.

He added that police operations in Rosario, a city of 1.3 million people, were being maintained, though he stopped short of claiming there was “total normality” or no difficulties.

The spark for the protest came last week after the death of officer Oscar Valdéz, 32, the latest in a series of suicides within the Santa Fe police force.

Dozens of officers, accompanied by relatives, launched their protest late on Monday. In the early hours of Tuesday, another group of officers from the same force attempted to disperse them, leading to scuffles.

Vests on the ground

The Santa Fe Justice and Security Ministry has submitted a report to the local courts, which are investigating the suspended officers and others over alleged irregularities during the protest, according to local newspaper La Capital.

“They told me, ‘You have to come and hand in your vest, ID and pistol.’ I have 11 years of service. I earn one million pesos a month [around US$700 at the official exchange rate],” Germán Acuña told several media outlets, holding his vest. “The fight will continue.”

Santa Fe Justice and Security Minister Pablo Cococcioni warned on Tuesday morning that “groups with violent and unlawful actions” had formed and had begun “inciting police personnel (…) seeking to destabilise” preventive operations through “abandonment of duty”.

Rosario, situated on the Paraná River around 300 kilometres from Buenos Aires, is Argentina’s third-largest city and home to one of the world’s largest agricultural export ports.

However, it has become known for drug-related violence and has made headlines over threats against footballers such as Ángel Di María and Lionel Messi, as well as their families.

With a homicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, Santa Fe Province tops national statistics, although it ended 2025 with its second-lowest figure since 2014, according to the provincial Public Security Observatory.

– TIMES/AFP/NA