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Mexico
has been plagued by violence for over a decade, which has been attributed to the disputes between cartels to control areas and drug trafficking routes , which have left thousands of collateral victims . The victims include people who were unlucky enough to be in the middle of shootings or be targeted by a stray bullet, and companies that shut down their factories in places struck by extreme violenc e because authorities were unable to guarantee their employees' security ; also, the social life of entire communities has been affected: bars, restaurants, and movie theaters close early and people stay at home in order to protect their lives.
For example, the Red Cross in the city of Salamanca , in the state of Guanajuato stopped operating for a couple of hours, as a result of “ violent events ,” an incident where their personnel was involved. The decision was made after on Saturday, paramedics helped a man with gunshot wounds , when they were transporting him to a hospital, several armed men blocked the road, threatened them, and kidnapped the wounded man. The institution operated after the state government announced that states forces will protect the paramedics and the Red Cross facilities.
Unfortunately, appointing an official to protect individuals or institutions hasn't been the best solution. In November 2018 , a Red Cross volunteer died and other four were wounded when they were delivering humanitarian aid in Taxco, in the state of Guerrero. The brigade was being accompanied by state police, but the three officers escorting them were murdered when at least 20 armed men attacked them.
There are states whose capacity to fight crime has been void for years. For the current administration, the National Guard is the solution but the proposal requires financial aid from the states.
The bill mentions that: “the entities and municipalities that collaborate with the National Guard will proportionally contribute, charged to its budget , the economic, human, and material resources to partially cover the costs of the operation.”
The lack of resources is often the argument used by municipalities and states to justify the backwardness of its police forces . From now on, they should be aware that they will allocate resources for the deployment of the National Guard to their territories. They should evaluate the costs : what is the best option? Pay for temporary security or develop effective local security forces ?
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