New strategies involving the Mexican Army and federal police are being implemented to combat the spike in violent crime that has gripped metro-area Guadalajara in recent weeks.
Municipal and state authorities went public with a range of new tactics this week after a bloodthirsty weekend that saw a spate of killings, including the sight of three bodies left hanging on a overpass on the Periferico (city beltway).
Even though messages left on some of the bodies suggested vigilante justice, Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer told media that the majority of the murders – nine were reported on July 8 alone – are the result of “ajustes de cuentas” (settling of scores) between criminals.
Others, including Colegio de Jalisco investigator Guillermo Lecuona, are not convinced by Almaguer’s reasoning and believe criminals are taking advantage of the widespread impunity that exists in the judicial system to commit ever more violent crimes.
Almaguer said the increased police presence in the city will be concentrated in Tlaquepaque, Tlajomulco, El Salto and the north of Zapopan, areas where the presence of organized criminals is most prevalent.
The new measures will see units of the Mexican Army patrol the perimeters of the metropolitan area, in co-ordination with federal police, who will be checking vehicles entering the city. This does not mean that permanent road blocks will be set up, Almaguer stressed. Volantes, as they are often referred, fall into a murky legal area and some state governors are reluctant to authorize their use.
According to Zapopan Mayor Pablo Lemus, the measures will boost the number of police officers stationed on the streets of the metropolitan area by 60 percent.
Fernando Topete, president of the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the new measures, noting that Tapatios are “fed up” with the constant insecurity. “We need to see an immediate improvement,” he said. “People are loosing their spirit.”