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Elite police force to target heavily armed criminals

Najera was talking at the unveiling of the first squadron of the elite team held Friday in Guadalajara's Metropolitano Park.

The 450 officers of the Fuerza Unica Metropolitana, to be deployed in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, have been cherry-picked from municipal and state ranks for their abilities and commitment, Najera said.

Over the past few months the special response unit has received training to react swiftly to any emergency situation. They will mostly be deployed for high-impact crimes, having the correct skills to engage heavily armed criminals, work in hostage situations and make high-profile arrests.

The state government decided to create an elite police squad after seeing the tardy reaction of local law enforcement when drug gangs commandeered city buses and set them alight on two occasions in 2012.

Members of the Fuerza Unica Jalisco will be among the highest paid police officers in Mexico, taking home a monthly wage of 22,400 pesos, less tax.

Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval was especially gung-ho in his appraisal of the new unit Friday. "The delinquents won't last long. If they don't end up in a coffin they will end up in hospital," he said.  "People are tired of injustices and only want to live in peace."

Najera urged citizens to ignore critics who have questioned the necessity for an elite force, suggesting that the criminals themselves are mostly behind the negativity.

Fuerza Unica Jalisco's provincial force will comprise 1,400 officers, divided into 19 units covering 125 municipalities, will be ready for deployment "in two or three months," he said. 

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