( Spanish) – The president of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum presented this Tuesday her National Security Strategy, whose general objective is the pacification of the country, in addition to reducing the incidence of crime, especially intentional homicides (when the death of another person is caused intentionally) linked to organized crime and crimes such as extortion, kidnapping and robbery with violence.
The security plan highlights the creation of the Undersecretary of Intelligence and Police Investigation as one of the key elements.
The Secretary of Citizen Security, Omar García Harfuch, presented the strategy and its four axes during the morning conference:
- Attention to the causes
- Consolidation of the National Guard
- Strengthening intelligence and investigation
- Coordination between the Security Cabinet and with the Federal Entities
Sheinbaum stressed that his strategy does not seek to violently combat organized crime, but rather to strengthen attention to the causes, as his predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, did based on a policy of “hugs not bullets.”
“(Felipe) Calderón’s war on drugs is not going to return. We are not looking for extrajudicial executions, which is what was happening. Us, what are we going to use? Prevention, attention to the causes, intelligence and presence in this four-axis strategy. Pay attention to the causes,” Sheinbaum said.
López Obrador’s strategy generated conflicting opinions about its effectiveness. Armando Vargas, from the consulting firm Integralia, told that, although the former president inherited high rates of intentional homicides, there is also no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of his policies.
Until August of this year, 186,380 intentional homicides had been registered in Mexico, which represented 35.75% more than those registered during the entire mandate of Enrique Peña Nieto, when there were 137,289, according to figures from the Executive Secretariat of the System National Public Security (Sesnsp).
On the other hand, analyst Eduardo Huchim considered the policy of attacking the causes of organized crime to be correct, as it has helped contain the increase in homicides, but it takes time to see more obvious results.
Below are the axes of the Government’s security plan:
The first axis focuses on addressing structural causes of crime, such as poverty and inequality. García Harfuch highlighted that he will continue with the strategy initiated by the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, prioritizing the most vulnerable families and generating opportunities for young people. “This will also allow us to keep them away from crime and the recruitment of criminal groups,” he stated.
Sheinbaum pointed out that the programs are maintained Young People Building the Futurewhich gives a scholarship and training to young people for one year, so that they have experience when they want to join the labor market; and Young People Writing the Futurewhich provides scholarships to university students in vulnerable areas.
This Tuesday, the president said that in addition to continuing the policies of the previous Government, she will apply a strategy that she launched when she was head of government of Mexico City, which consisted of visiting house to house in areas with high crime rates.
The objective was to comprehensively serve families, solving problems related to education, employment and social inclusion, to prevent young people from joining criminal groups.
The second axis focuses on strengthening the National Guard, which became part of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena). García Harfuch highlighted that this security force, with more than 133,000 elements, helps protect communities that “do not have access to reliable municipal police or fully strengthened state police.”
The National Guard, García Harfuch added, has a training, professionalization, and training scheme defined by the military doctrine of Sedena. As he explained, the strict regulation “guarantees respect for human rights with military discipline” and he ruled out that it is “militarization”, but rather a use of capabilities.
The president pointed out some of the advantages that, in his opinion, come with the Guard being part of the National Defense: “they have access to the Army’s social security services; They have the training that the Army elements receive, they have their own career. The commanders are officers who are trained for it, that is, an institution is being consolidated.”
The third axis is the creation of the Undersecretary of Intelligence and Police Investigation. This new instance will be part of the Ministry of Security and, according to García Harfuch, it will have “advanced technological resources” to identify patterns and understand the dynamics in the areas with the highest incidence of crime.
The Undersecretary of Intelligence will be responsible for identifying criminal networks and analyzing data to develop more effective combat strategies. To this end, the secretary reported that analysts, field and office researchers, as well as technical specialists will be integrated who will translate the information collected into “elements that guarantee the solidity of the research folders.”
This new body will also coordinate closely with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR).
The plan also seeks to consolidate the National Intelligence System, which will integrate naval, military and financial intelligence resources, creating a flow of information between the different security institutions, said García Harfuch.
The fourth axis is focused on improving coordination between the different institutions in the sector, both at the federal and state levels. García Harfuch stressed that security requires “a shared responsibility” and that permanent mechanisms of active collaboration will be implemented between the Security Cabinet and local authorities. This model also contemplates better interaction with state prosecutors’ offices to ensure that common law crimes, which represent 80% of crimes, are dealt with in a timely manner.
President Sheinbaum announced that this Tuesday she will sign and send to Congress the initiative for coordination of the security systems of the Sedena, the Navy, the National Guard and the Secretariat of Citizen Security itself.
The Secretary of Security listed the three main objectives for what he called the “construction of lasting peace in the country.”
- Reduce the incidence of crime, mainly intentional homicides linked to organized crime and high-impact crimes.
- Neutralize generators of violence and criminal networks, especially in areas with high crime incidence.
- Strengthen the prevention and social proximity capabilities of local police and improve dialogue with all sectors of society.
To achieve these objectives, the security plan contemplates strengthening the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System through the creation of a National Security Academy, where the study plans will be standardized and specialized training will be offered for local and federal police.
In addition, an evaluation system will be implemented for state police and a comprehensive care model for high-impact crimes. This model, explained the secretary, includes preventive actions, coordination with local prosecutors’ offices, regional crime diagnoses, and a focus on crimes such as extortion and collection of fees. It also includes special units to execute arrest warrants in areas with a high incidence of crime and mechanisms to control crime from the prison system, said García Harfuch.
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