Mexico’s Anti-Crime Wave

When a group of crime victims got together to organize a rally in Mexico City, it’s unlikely they expected to spark one of the biggest protests the city had ever seen. More than 250,000 people took to the streets of the capital on June 27, and thousands more marched in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana and other cities in Mexico.

The protest was so successful because it tapped into the simmering frustration among Mexican citizens about an epidemic of crime, especially kidnappings for ransom, that seems only to worsen with every passing year -- while the response from the government and corrupt police forces has been tepid at best. The march proved that the Mexican public, hitherto known for its apathy, can get organized to demand that the government fulfill its most basic obligation: to provide public safety. Now, the politicians must prove they heard the message and are ready to do whatever is necessary to solve the problem.

In March, President Vicente Fox sent a bill to Mexico’s Congress calling for reforms in the judiciary system that, if passed, could improve the situation. Last week, he met with the organizers of the Mexico City march and came up with a 10-point plan to confront criminals. Both are steps in the right direction, but not nearly enough to bring about substantial change.

The best way to fight crime is to prevent it through an effective community-policing plan that emphasizes a collaborative effort between police and the community, identifies the roots of crime and searches for solutions. Mexico’s top cop should get in touch with the Chicago Police Department, which uses one of the most successful and long-running models of community policing.

It may also be worth exploring changes in the law to make certain felonies, such as kidnapping, a federal crime. This would improve coordination among local, state and federal police forces to combat crime, with the federales leading the investigations. In Mexico nowadays, the most professional, best-trained police force is the Policia Federal Preventiva that Fox created at the beginning of his term.

A rash of kidnappings has led to more instability and the formation of militias in a number of Latin American countries, and the potential for such troubles in a nation as close as Mexico should be of grave concern to U.S. officials. American law enforcement leaders should offer their support. Mexican authorities, meanwhile, must show their frustrated constituencies that they heard the message.