Growing citizen security concerns
All over the region, concerns about citizen security are increasing. Here is a sample of media coverage from the first half of August about rising crime, kidnapping, public reactions and leaders' proposed solutions.
In Mexico, where drug-fueled violence has killed more than 2,600 people so far this year, crime is the number-one issue. The recent kidnapping and murder of a teenager from one of the country's wealthiest families - apparently with assistance from corrupt police - has outraged public opinion further.
-
Los Angeles Times 8/10: A cover story documents ways in which Mexican narco-criminals get their guns from the United States. "You see the Sinaloan cowboys come in [to the U.S. gun shows]. ... You see them with their ammunition belts and their ammunition boots. You can see the dollies being rolled outside to their cars."
- Houston Chronicle 8/15: In Mexico, violence rages as leaders talk strategy
- Proceso 8/14: México, número uno en secuestros
- New York Times 8/14: A Boy’s Killing Prods a City to Stand Up to Kidnappers
- Christian Science Monitor 8/14: Mexican Citizens Asked to Fight Crime
- Houston Chronicle editorial 8/13: Mexico's boiling point
- BBC 8/11: Mexican fury grows at kidnappings
- Miami Herald 8/10: Drug cartels feeling the heat
- Time 8/8: No Help for Mexico's Kidnapping Surge
- Los Angeles Times 8/5: Mexican police linked to rising kidnappings
In Colombia, where major cities have seen dramatic security improvements during the past few years, reports in the media express concern about recent backsliding.
- Semana 8/12: Algo anda mal en la seguridad de Bogotá: "There is an increasing feeling that the capital's security is worsening, but the government of Mayor Samuel Moreno says that the statistics show improvements continuing. Both sides are right ... it depends on which statistics are looked at."
- Juan Diego Restrepo, Semana 8/11: ¿Por qué crece la violencia en Medellín?: "Medellín is condemned to go back and forth between criminal anarchy and a 'boss' who can regulate it."
- Semana 7/26: ¿Qué pasa en Medellín?
More recent examples follow.
Entire Region
- Kevin Casas, former 2nd vice president of Costa Rica, writes in the 8/5 Miami Herald: "The perception that the authorities are unable to protect citizens' fundamental rights is damaging support for democratic institutions in Latin America and creating a breeding ground for authoritarian attitudes."
Central America
- Proceso (Mexico) 8/15: Centroamérica: zona de miedo: "The region's murder rate is 36 for every 100,000 inhabitants. ... In El Salvador the murder rate is 67.8, almost 3 times that of Mexico and Latin America; 10 times larger than the United States and 45 times higher than Canada."
Argentina
- Perfil 8/10: "Narcos en Argentina: siete capos colombianos pasaron por el país": Some of Colombia's most-wanted narcos and paramilitary leaders have regularly passed into Argentina using forged documents. Three were gunned down in a Buenos Aires shopping mall at the beginning of the month.
- Clarín editorial 8/6: Dar respuestas a la inseguridad: "The night is when the nearly generalized absence of police personnel in the capital's public space is made clear with greatest eloquence."
Brazil
- Los Angeles Times 8/10: Soldiers blamed for killings in Rio de Janeiro slum: "The irony is that the army generally enjoyed higher standing in the favelas than the police, widely assailed as brutal and corrupt, and sometimes in cahoots with shady militiamen who serve as ad hoc executioners."
Costa Rica
- La Nación 8/14: Reforma a leyes de seguridad ataca la delincuencia común: Costa Rica's legislature considers an executive-branch proposal that would give security officials new powers, such as wiretapping, access to bank account information, and greater ability to impose preventive detentions.
Dominican Republic
- Reuters 8/5: Bullet-riddled bodies found in Dominican Republic - a massacre apparently linked to narcotrafficking.
Ecuador
- Semana (Colombia) 8/13: Dramático incremento de secuestros en Venezuela y Ecuador: "In Ecuador, the number of ransom kidnappings exceeded that of Colombia and Venezuela."
- El Comercio 8/7: Un control riguroso a guardias: The police are increasing their supervision of private guards.
Venezuela
- BBC 8/15: Venezuela passes anti-kidnap law: "A growing problem for city dwellers is "express kidnapping" where armed gangs target victims and then demand payment for their quick release."
- Semana (Colombia) 8/13: Dramático incremento de secuestros en Venezuela y Ecuador: "In Venezuela, the Colombian border zone is the area most affected by kidnapping."