Argentinean officials gave in to demands of police for higher pay in the country’s second-largest city, after cops stopped working and the city erupted in a wave of looting and violence.  At least one person was killed and more than 100 people were injured.

The violence began in Cordoba started on Tuesday night and continued straight through Wednesday.  Without the police holding the lid on the pot, mobs soon formed and attacked supermarkets and storefronts, as well as beat people in the streets.  Vigilantes were soon arming themselves and patrolling their neighborhoods.  Most of the injuries were caused by shattered glass.  Banks and schools closed on Wednesday as people huddled inside and waited out the mobs.

Governor Jose Manuel de la Soto says the strike was the reaction of dirty cops after he ordered the closure of some 140 brothels, depriving corrupt officers of a source of income.  To calm his city, the governor agreed to pay them 12,600 pesos (A$2,250) a month, making them the best-paid cops in Argentina.

De la Sota is a political rival of President Cristina Fernandez and accuses her of starving Cordoba of federal support.  He also says national police should have come to Cordoba’s rescue a lot earlier than midday Wednesday, when ordered began to come back to the troubled city.  Fernandez’ cabinet chief denies this and accuses de la Sota of trying to shift the blame for a problem that was entirely his responsibility.