The news about executions and murders in the capital of the country have become a regrettable situation in our everyday lives. In 2017, murders reached the highest level ever recorded; and in 70% of the cases, firearms were used. Last year, there was an average of three murders per day. The boroughs of Venustiano Carranza, Cuauhtémoc, and Gustavo A. Madero were the ones with the highest incidence rate of the 1,048 cases recorded in 2017.
At the beginning of these 2018, the situation has changed very little. Just last week a quadruple execution took place in Iztapalapa. And last Saturday night, six people were shot at a party in Gustavo A. Madero – four of them died.
At the same rate murders increase, so have police officers become a target of criminals. EL UNIVERSAL publishes today that thus far this year, 10 police officers have lost their lives in their line of duty, killed by firearms.
The latest case took place this Sunday before dozens of people, in a crowded area and in broad daylight. A female police officer was making her rounds in one of the hallways of the wholesale food market of Mexico City ( Central de Abastos ). Her back was turned when a group of thieves coming out of a shop they had just robbed happened upon her and shot her.
This wave of crimes forces several questions, among them about weapons in the black market . How do these items reach the hands of criminals? Little is known about arms trafficking flow but it's a fact this illegal trade is flooding our streets with blood. Severing the links is a priority.
And if criminals are using this type of perk, it's because they know very few will be able to serve a sentence for any crime. Impunity rate in Mexico is well over 90%.
In Mexico City, crimes are virtually present in all industries and hit rich and poor areas alike. Against crime, polices officers are our first line of defense (the rest being intel operations, prevention, and so on), thus, their training and adequate equipment become vital in the performance of their work, both in Mexico City and the states and municipalities of the Republic. To this, we have to add decent salaries and benefits so police officers don't find themselves in the dilemma exploited by criminal groups: money or a bullet.
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