If you think your municipality has security problems, spare a thought for the mayor of Jilotlan de los Dolores on the border of Michoacan.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Carlos Llamas admitted this week, after his police force dropped to a grand total of 11, with just three working patrol cars.
The residents of some Jalisco municipalities on the borders of Michoacan have paid a terrible price during the current wave of drug violence sweeping parts of the nation. The violence has reduced some areas to virtual no-go zones, and vigilante groups have set themselves up to take up the law and order mantle.
Police officers in many municipalities, including Jilotlan, are resigning in large number over concerns for their safety.
With just under 10,000 inhabitants, Jilotlan de los Dolores is one of the smallest municipalities in Jalisco.
Llamas praised the federal government for sending in police reinforcements and said another solution might be to establish a military battalion in the municipality.