Conflicting Crime Stats Call Mexico Security Narrative into Question Kyra Gurney - InSight Crime
go to original August 22, 2014

Mexico's National Citizen Observatory has identified major discrepancies in crime figures reported by the country's two official statistics sources, casting doubt on the validity of current data pointing to a large drop in homicides.

After analyzing 2013 data reported by Mexico's statistical agency (INEGI) and the Secretary General of National Public Safety (SESNSP), the National Citizen Observatory (ONC) found large differences that it said indicated state prosecutor's offices were using inconsistent systems to collect and compile information on crimes (pdf).

In some cases, the information reported by INEGI and the SESNSP showed contradictory crime trends in the same state. In Puebla, for example, INEGI reported a 17 percent increase in homicides between 2012 and 2013, whereas SESNSP figures showed a nearly 26 percent decrease in the state over the same period.

"We don't have reliable information to produce a diagnostic of the violence in our country," ONC Director Francisco Rivas stated.

Read the rest at InSight Crime

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