Many officers have left for better paying positions in the Metro Zone
Authorities claim they do not have the budget to cover the police quota. Photo: Courtesy.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía: Jocotepec City Hall will request support from neighboring municipalities to strengthen security operations for the January celebrations because it is short f public security staff.
According to Felipe Aguilar, Director of Social Communication for Jocotepec, as of December 15 the municipality had only 44 police officers distributed in two shifts, 22 officers for each shift.
The Institute of Statistical and Geographic Information of Jalisco (IIEG) reports that Jocotepec has 47,573 inhabitants (exclusive of weekend tourists), equivalent to one police officer for every 1,80 inhabitants or 92 per 100,000 population, , approximately 1/3 of the number recommended by the UN. The United States as 278 per 100,000 and the countries of the European Union have up to 250 police per 100,000 population.
Jocotepec’s shortage is part of a national problem. According to Excélsior, Mexico has a shortage of 96 thousand security personnel, putting it far under the UN standard.
Aguilar said that the municipality should have at least 100 officers meaning staffing is down 60 percent. Mayor José Miguel Gómez López blamed the shortage on the defections of officers to other security agencies in the Metropolitan Zone that have higher salaries.
«There were difficult moments in which we did not even have 38 policemen in the two shifts, because some of them got sick and others resigned to move to the Metropolitan Zone», said Mayor José Miguel, regarding the crisis of municipal police force.
Now, strengthening security is a priority on the eve of the nine days of celebrations commemorating Señor del Monte from January 4 to 17 in Jocotepec when thousands of people congregate in Jocotepe from many parts of the country and even from abroad.
«The Public Safety department has already anticipated the January festivities, so we are now thinking of requesting the support of other municipalities,» said Felipe.
However, the municipal commander of Chapala informed Semanario Laguna that so far he has not received any official letter or request from the municipality of Jocotepec to request police support.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
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