General aspects of Inspection, Surveillance, and Control models in Bogotá

Attendees at a conference held at the Externado learned about the operations of some of the entities performing inspections of commercial establishments in the city.

According to the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, in 2016, the economic activity in the capital was represented by a total of 694,081 organizations. Of these, 444,723 were owned by individual and legal entities, and 249,358 were classified as commercial establishments.

Companies are subject to inspection, by different supervisory entities, on issues relating to citizen health protection, environment, mobility, prescription drugs verification, sales of food and beverages, among others.

Representatives from the Sub Directorate of Monitoring Inspection, Surveillance, and Control Management (SSGIVC), of the Greater Bogotá Mayor’s Office, were invited by the Externado Economics Law Department to explain how and under what legal parameters these functions are performed by the controlling entities.

Within the Sub-Directorate, there is a District Unified System of Inspection, Monitoring, and Control (SUDIVC), created in 2007 with the objective of simplifying control planning,  creating entities, and administering the Inspection, Surveillance, and Control system.

One of the objectives of the Greater Bogotá Mayor’s Office in this matter, as stated by one of its officials, is the establishment of a centralized inspection, a new institution which, through consolidation of all or most of the inspection entities, allows a greater impact on commercial establishments’ control.

Also analyzed was the impact on inspections by the new Police Code.  According to the Code, recently enacted, commercial establishments failing to comply with any of the rules set forth by the inspection entities are shut down for a period ranging from three to ten days. If they repeat the infraction or violate other rules, they can be shut down for up to three months. Third-time violations will result in permanent closure.

On the other hand, representatives of the Empresa de Licores de Cundinamarca (Cundinamarca Liquor Company), explained how to recognize adulterated alcoholic beverages and addressed the campaigns they, as an institution, together with the SSGIVC, are developing to penalize those endangering citizens’ health.