Mexico City faces violence and crime

In the last decade, the most important challenge for any government level: federal, state, or municipal, has been to lower violence rates . The current numbers show that the strategies that are being implemented haven't been entirely successful, that something goes wrong along the way because the initial efforts show positive results but they are reverted soon after. Do they lower the guard? Lack of perseverance ? Relaxed control mechanisms?

In regards to this issue, self-criticism is scarce . On the contrary, authorities usually make an effort to present numbers that show positive improvements .

In Mexico City, insecurity increased a few years ago even though it used to be considered as an example of peace . The administration that took office in December 2018 is aware of how serious crime rates are and hasn't avoided the issue.

On Monday, Mexico City's Attorney General acknowledged the existence of a violence crisis , which has been reflected in the number of murders registered. Official numbers show that the period between January and April was one of the most violent in Mexico City in the last 10 years, with a total of 380 victims of attacks with firearms . January is the deadliest month, with 108 cases; followed by March, 107; 91 cases in April, and 74 in February.

At the request of the current administration, French prosecutors and experts carried out a diagnosis of the daily operation of the General Attorney's Office in Mexico City . The results show that there are deficiencies and shortcomings from local police officers when they investigate a high impact crime.

It was found that those who should be solving crimes are delivering documents, working as chauffeurs , or carried out tasks that were not part of their responsibilities. Surely, an investigation carried out by the city's government would have shown similar results.

Mexican society acknowledges the fact that governments recognize problems and not try to avoid them or blame previous administrations. This is a sign of honesty .

For the Mexico City government , admitting a violence crisis should be useful to adjust the strategies that are not working and reinforce controls where required. The results will take longer than expected but it is necessary to set the foundations for a new model that is not only reactionary, in order to move forward justice and police investigations .

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