Juan SalgadoProfessor, Legal Studies Dept.

CIDE, Mexico CitySeptember, 2009

Needs assessment for bottom-up police reform in

Mexico

Structure of the presentation

Mexico’s current strategy to combat organized crime.

The need to reframe police reform in Mexico.

Good practice at municipal and state levels.

Mexico’s current strategy to combat organized crime

Open season on drug dealers and their likes. An all-out frontal attack on organized crime. A war-like effort to crack down mob structures.

Allocation of (temporary) law enforcement powers to armed forces. There is no clear timeline, and no exit strategy for the current counter-drug operations.

Massive media campaign. Measuring the success of their policies in terms of seizures, detention of cartel leaders and confiscation of property.

1. Reforms promoted by the Legislative.

2. Reforms promoted by the Judiciary.

3. Reforms promoted by the Executive.

However, there is no coherent package of reforms.

Mexico’s current strategy to combat organized crime

The current federal administration aimed to create a single federal police body, merging the Federal Investigative, Federal Preventive, Customs and Immigration Police bodies, following the US Homeland Security model, ear-marking a significant amount of budget allocations to training and equipment.

These bodies continue to be administered by different government offices to this day.

This reform initiative did not have legislative backing, and involves the modernization and training of only 3.55% of the total number of police officers in Mexico.

Mexico’s current strategy to combat organized crime

Total police bodies

Total police officers

Percentage

State and municipal police

1,657 406,346 71,57

Federal police

4 20,182 3.55

Private security

3,419 141,220 24.87

Total 5,080 567,784 100

Source: Federal Public Security Dept,, Mexico, Re-engineering the crime combat model, February 2007.

Mexico’s current strategy to combat organized crime

Use of armed forces for public security (law enforcement) tasks in Mexico

Problems regarding the rule of law

1. Use of force.

2. Accountability.

3. Relations between security agent (soldier) and the community.

4. Wrongful interpretation of civilian-military relationship in times of peace.

Structure of the presentation

Mexico’s current strategy to combat organized crime.

The need to reframe police reform in Mexico.

Good practice at municipal and state levels.

Likelihood to bribe a police officer in Latin American countries – Latinobarometro 2004

58

52 52

38

33 33

2022

30

41454546

49

65

39

57

37

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70M

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o

Para

guay

Arg

entin

a

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dor

Bra

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R. D

omin

ican

a

Ven

ezue

la

Gua

tem

ala

Bol

ivia

Hon

dura

s

Cos

ta R

ica

Perú

Uru

guay

Pana

má

Nic

arag

ua

Col

ombi

a

Chi

le

El S

alva

dor

%

Person with ill-

treatment 53%

Person without ill-treatment

47%

Non-weighted data: 744

Weighted data: 1,519,623

PERSONS WITH CONTACT

Ill-treatment of citizens by law enforcement officers in Mexico City (2006)

5

11

29

99

98

95

95

89

73

5

2

1They threatened to hurt your

family

You were compelled toconfess

They threatened to hurt you

They threatened you to obtaina confession or some

information

They insulted or humiliatedyou

You were asked for money

YES NO

%

Contacts with non-physical ill-treatment (total)

Non-weighted data: 1105

Weighted data: 2,296,201

Non-physical ill treatment of citizens by law enforcement officers in Mexico City (2006)

47

9

6

11

17

12

19

23

53

67

91

94

89

85

83

83

88

81

77

33

17

15

Hitting

Punching

Aggression with objects

Slapping

Other injuries

Immersion

Suffocation, asphyxiation

You were blindfolded

You were tied up

They covered your head

Sharp injuries

YES NO%

Number of contacts with physical ill-treatment (total)

Non-weighted data: 20

Weighted data: 63069

* The size of the non-weighted data does not provide statistically significant data.

Physical ill treatment of citizens by law enforcement officers in Mexico City (2006)

Jurisdiction: Federal, state, municipal.

Roles: prevention or investigation.

Tasks: desk officer vs. street officers.

Regional approach: urban vs rural, north vs south.

No one-size-fits-all police reform strategy for Mexico

Minimal benchmarks for effective local police reform in Mexico

- Improve recruiting policies, procedures and practice.

- Comprehensive and on-going training, including human rights and use of force.

- Effective accountability procedures (internal and external controls).

- Improve street-level supervision of police officers and integrity testing.

- Generation, systematization, and effective use of statistical information.

- Civilian oversight of law enforcement.

Structure of the presentation

Mexico’s current strategy to combat organized crime.

The need to reframe police reform in Mexico.

Good practice at municipal and state levels.

Good practice regarding local police reform initiatives in Mexico

1. Federal District (Mexico City) – Citizen Protection Units.

2. Queretaro Citizen Security Department (state).

3. Naucalpan Public Security Department (municipal).

4. Chihuahua Public Security Department (municipal).

5. Guadalajara Public Security Department (municipal).

Risks of the local pro-democratic police reform efforts in Mexico

Generally short-lived. It is rather challenging to overcome the change of administration (every three years in municipalities, every six years in states).

Increased citizen demand for hard-handed approaches to crime control, including sheer repression.

Expanding role of the armed forces in public security tasks, with military elements taking mid-rank and high-rank positions in municipal and state police bodies.

Lack of comprehensive approaches to crime prevention, involving police and non-police work.

Scoping. The amounts approved for Mexico under the Merida initiative are approx. 3% of what the Mexican government is currently spending in this terrain.

Technical assistance. Sharing information on police accountability, civilian oversight of law enforcement, use of force regulation and police integrity programs.

Promoting self-sustaining accountability reforms. Disseminate good practice across Mexican municipalities.

How can the US contribute to improve local policing in Mexico?