Dear Sir,
The “mixed reviews” of the anti-crime meeting focused largely on shortcomings that can be overcome by a professional approach.
True, a few were there because of real estate values, but all were concerned about their own safety at home and out in our community.
The amateurish ideas for improving security may have turned some people off, but a professional approach is something else.
My suggestions: Put together a team from the Mexican government, police and the expatriate community to oversee the program.
First, get a plan developed by top professionals, such as the police chief of Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, and/or ex-New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani to determine what we need to do and how, and to create a budget.
Second is a fundraising campaign. Every expat can be encouraged to contribute a relatively modest sum for safety, say US$100, which could bring in millions of pesos. In a restricted fund supervised by a team we could all trust, we could get more boots on the ground, police on bicycles, and more local security in a hot hurry.
Mitchell Perey