A glimpse of Mexico's new crime fighting strategy
| MEXICO CITY
Mexico鈥檚 government on Tuesday launched a comprehensive crime prevention plan aimed at strengthening communities hard-hit by the violence of an ongoing drug war.
The details of President Enrique Pe帽a Nieto鈥檚 security strategy have been trickling out since he took office in December. Unlike former President Felipe Calder贸n鈥檚 government, which publicly announced troop deployments and paraded suspected criminals before television cameras, Pe帽a Nieto has so far been quiet on the details of his security strategy.
And while the new administration hasn鈥檛 backed away from using the military to fight crime entirely 鈥� the controversial strategy favored by his predecessor 鈥� it promised a more multifaceted approach.
Yesterday's announcement of Mexico's new crime prevention program delivers on that promise. The program aims to target the roots of crime, including violence in the home and in schools. It also includes preventing addictions and detecting behavioral issues in young people early. To achieve these goals, the interior ministry will coordinate efforts across nine different federal agencies including health, education, economy, and social development, among others.
鈥淲e鈥檙e convinced that combat and punishment alone won鈥檛 resolve the problem,鈥� Interior Minister Miguel 脕ngel Osorio Chong told local press.
More than six years into Mexico鈥檚 bloody battle against drug cartels, more than 65,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands remain missing. Prosperous cities like Ciudad Ju谩rez and Monterrey have been crippled by drug-related homicides. While deaths in Ciudad Ju谩rez have recently fallen, violence has climbed in other regions.
The government says the crime prevention strategy will focus on seven metropolitan areas in the states of Jalisco, Durango, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon (where Monterrey is the capital), as well as two boroughs of Mexico City.
President Pe帽a Nieto has emphasized that his security strategy will focus on reducing kidnapping, homicide, and extortion in Mexico 鈥� a departure from former President Calder贸n鈥檚 singular focus on nabbing cartel kingpins.
Pe帽a Nieto hasn鈥檛 returned soldiers to their barracks, nor is there a timeline for when Mexico's troubled police forces may again take over crime-fighting responsibilities. And the violence hasn't dropped. Between Dec. 1 and Feb. 1, 1,758 people have been killed in drug violence 鈥� numbering close to 28 homicides per day.聽
Mr. Osorio Chong told the El Universal newspaper that it would be a mistake to expect, after years of deadly violence, that 鈥渁nything will be resolved overnight,鈥� saying 鈥渋t鈥檚 an issue with deep roots.鈥�
