The civil organization Causa en Común presented this Wednesday an assessment of the impacts of the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador on public security and justice, highlighting that the country is experiencing an “unprecedented crisis of violence and with very weakened institutions.”
According to the ‘Sexennial Report 2018-2024’, the militarization of public security has reached historic levels in the last six years, during the López Obrador administration, while the police forces have been abandoned, operating in conditions of precariousness and lack of resources.
María Elena Morera, president of Causa en Común, pointed out that the López Obrador government left a “poisoned legacy” by betting on militarization, generating an increase in violence and the weakening of civil institutions.
“What was sold as a historic change has resulted in the dismantling of security systems and the consolidation of a poisoned legacy,” he said.
Among the data highlighted in the report, it is mentioned that during López Obrador’s six-year term, more than 2,456 police officers were murdered.
26,614 atrocities were also documented, including cases of torture, femicides and massacres.
Read: NGO publishes report that certifies the ‘dirty war’ and criticizes the current militarization in Mexico
“We document thousands of atrocities in a document that we call the ‘Gallery of Horror’, a crude example of the acts of extreme violence that were and continue to be ignored since 2020,” Morera said.
The report also questions the effectiveness of the National Guard, created in the current six-year term and which has been placed under the control of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena).
According to Causa en Común, this institution, which was conceived as a civilian body, has been militarized and its performance is below expectations, with an arrest rate lower than that of an average municipal police force.
“We have a National Guard with 112,000 elements, but its operational capacity is similar to that of a police force of 600 troops,” Morera commented.
Carlos Bravo Regidor, analyst and guest panelist, stressed that the López Obrador administration abandoned the possibility of building a civil security system.
“For decades, attempts have been made to build civil security forces as an alternative to militarization. However, with this government, not only was that project abandoned, but absolute control of public security was handed over to the Armed Forces,” said Bravo, adding that this has also affected other areas of public life.
In addition, the Causa en Común report indicated that in this last six-year period, almost 200,000 homicides, more than 5,000 kidnappings and approximately 1.4 million cases of family violence were recorded.
Black crime figure is estimated at 93%
However, the organization warns that the real figure could be higher, since the black figure of crimes in Mexico is estimated at 93%.
“Many crimes are reclassified or simply not reported. This created a false image of security and hid the true impact of violence on our lives,” Morera commented.
Finally, Causa en Común called to strengthen local police forces and recover the National Public Security System, which, according to the organization, has been relegated in favor of militarization
With information from EFE
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