Currently operating in 100 Tapatio neighborhoods, the scheme which aids local citizens to create safe environments is expected to double in size before the year is out.
Run by Guadalajara’s Department of Public Safety, the program involves workshops to teach self-protection measures and risk detection to local residents, with the aim of reducing their vulnerability to crime. Once trained, the participants are then assigned to a police patrol car and given a tour of their neighborhood.
The neighborhood networks also include vigilant citizens designated as “monitors” to report any suspicious or unusual activity. These monitors are equipped with electronic keys to communicate directly with the the Center for Communications and Electronic Monitoring (CECOE).
The monitors also are in constant communication with the local police patrol they are assigned to. A key principle of “Familias en Alerta” is that residents and officials can meet one another, communicate directly and establish a close relationship.
Building a sense of familiarity and trust between neighbors is also an important aspect of the program. “One of the major problems we have is that people do not know each other. So we are generating these dynamics (of recognition), generating a network where they can exchange phone numbers and become known to everyone, and what we are trying to do is build confidence and bring them together,” said Ruth Gallardo, head of the Crime Prevention Unit.