Businessmen urge the government to fight insecurity in Mexico

The business sector issued an urgent appeal to federal, state, and municipal governments to address the insecurity that Mexico faces after assessing a historic increase of theft and violent crimes.

The Business Coordinating Council (CCE)

, and the Mexican Employers’ Association (COPARMEX) demanded that the law be applied and that there be new changes in the implementation of public security measures. They advised that the necessary legislative reforms should be made and that an independent attorney general’s office should be established, among other suggestions to mitigate the problem.

Juan Pablo Castañón, chairman of the CCE

, expressed that the law should be applied with no exception, given the levels of insecurity and impunity that have recently been reported in the country and which resulted in the forced shut-down of several distribution centers of Coca-Cola, FEMSA, and LALA , as well as the Dolores mine in Chihuahua.

“We demand that the law be applied to whoever threatens the life and property of the Mexican people. This message goes to every single government institution. As businessmen, we demand that the proper police training for public forces and the professionalization of the police shouldn’t continue to be postponed; we want an increase in public forces wherever they may be needed, and coordinated action with military forces in cases where local police proves to be insufficient in fighting crime,” he stated.

He added that the “extreme violence levels” in Mexico are an obstacle for investment and manufacturing activity. The violence is causing companies to shut down and it is reducing the possibility of a thriving and active economy.

Gustavo de Hoyos, chairman of COPARMEX

, demanded that the federal government should implement urgent measures to stop violence and crime, which have reached levels that have never been seen before. On the last month, there was an average of 90 murders per day ; 25% more than last year. Fuel theft increased to 34% on March 2018, a historical record for this type of crime,” he stated.

“Insecurity is greatly damaging our economy, impacting our country’s capacity to attract foreign investment. This problem needs to be addressed immediately if we want to continue generating employment and maintaining a wealth-generating cycle that benefits all. Economic growth is the only way to create peace,” he claimed.

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