In Mexico City, Police Community Outreach Program Reduces Crime Daniel Higa - Infosurhoy.com
go to original February 15, 2013

Mexico City is divided into 855 patrol beats of about 800 to 1,000 square meters apiece. These beats are patrolled by 26,000 Community Outreach police officers. (Daniel Higa/Infosurhoy.com)

MEXICO CITY – The police and the community are working together to make Mexico City safer.

The Police Community Outreach Program, created in 2008, has strengthened the bond between police and the people they protect. The program also led to a 22.7% reduction in major crimes, such as homicides, muggings and thefts, between 2010 and 2012.

Since 2010, when authorities started keeping statistical data, through 2012, 12 of the 14 crimes targeted by this program saw significant decreases, including major drops in robberies against taxi passengers (62.7%) and rape (33.5%).

Sabina Martínez, a 54-year-old grocery store worker in Mexico City’s Santa Cruz Atoyac development, witnessed the program’s effectiveness when a person was mugged a few meters from her store and the police apprehended the assailants within minutes of their crime. Martínez also is comforted because police visit the store frequently and she has a number to call for emergencies.

The 2012 Crime Rate Report, released by the Citizen Council on Public Security and Criminal Justice, stated that in 2012 a total of 17,095 vehicles were stolen, 5,569 fewer than in 2010. The number of muggings fell by 3,021 in 2012 for a total of 12,922, after a high of 16,013 muggings in 2010. There were 4,334 burglaries reported against businesses last year, 306 fewer than in 2010.

Under the Police Community Outreach Program, the city is divided into small surveillance areas. Police patrols maintain contact with the community by knowing its needs and handing out business cards with a number to report emergencies.

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