3 out of 4 criminal investigations in Jalisco ‘shelved’

The large number of cases that the Jalisco State Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) “shelves” serves as “an incentive” to criminals to “carry on as normal,” University of Guadalajara (UDG) professor Dante Haro told Spanish-language daily Mural this week.

According to the PGJE’s own figures, no arrests were made in 345,208 investigations – 75 percent of the total – carried out between January 1, 2007 and October 31 2012.

Haro said the lack of confidence in authorities’ ability to investigate is a “vicious circle,” that dissuades citizens from reporting crimes.

To gain the confidence of citizens, Haro said the PGJE needs to “decentralize” and detail investigators to every single city neighborhood.