10/1/2015 Spike in Mexico murder rate poses major test for embattled Peña Nieto ­ CSMonitor.com

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Spike in Mexico murder rate posesmajor test for embattled Peña NietoThe Mexican government had touted the effectiveness of its security initiatives. Buthomicides have climbed since January, with a particularly sharp spike in Mexico City.

By Whitney Eulich, Correspondent SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

MEXICO CITY — The murder rate in Mexico grew this year for the first

time since President Enrique Peña Nieto took office in 2012, a stinging

statistic for an administration that’s boasted about the success of its

security policies (http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin­

America­Monitor/2013/0213/A­glimpse­of­Mexico­s­new­crime­fighting­

strategy) in combating homicides.

Despite high profile cases like the disappearance of 43 teacher’s college

students

(http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2015/0925/Mexico­s­

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10/1/2015 Spike in Mexico murder rate poses major test for embattled Peña Nieto ­ CSMonitor.com

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin­America­Monitor/2015/0930/Spike­in­Mexico­murder­rate­poses­major­test­for­embattled­Pena­Nieto 2/7

missing­students­Search­for­justice­reveals­changing­society) last year,

which implicated elected officials, public security forces, and organized

crime, murder rates had been trending down since the previous

(http://www.inegi.org.mx/saladeprensa/boletines/2015/especiales/especiales2015_07_4.pdf)

administration's war on drug cartels.

But since January, homicides have gone up 5 percent

(http://www.wsj.com/articles/rise­in­violent­crime­shakes­mexico­city­

1443398548), reports The Wall Street Journal. And in Mexico City alone,

the increase was 21 percent, climbing to 566 murders, on track for a rate of

roughly 14 murders per 100,000 people (http://us10.campaign­

archive2.com/?

u=3882541618fbc6471691042c1&id=8524dcf4bf&e=3612642269). That

poses a major challenge to the embattled Mexican president, the Journal

reports:

Recommended: How much do you know about Mexico? Take our quiz.(/World/Americas/2012/0701/How-much-do-you-know-about-Mexico-Take-our-quiz/What-does-the-5th-of-May-commemorate-in-Mexico)

... [Peña Nieto's] administration had trumpeted the decline in

murders over the past two years as proof that the government’s

security initiatives, such as improved coordination between

crime­fighting agencies like the army and federal police, were

working.

But the rising rate can be seen as evidence the government had

little to do with the decrease in homicides during the past two

years.

“Our authorities keep improvising. Peña Nieto promised to

reduce homicides but he has never said exactly how,”

said Ernesto López Portillo, the head of security think tank

Insyde. ...

Experts say the rising murder rate is the result of an increase in

common crime as well as murders linked to the country’s drug

war. Raúl Toledo, a security consultant and former city official,

said the rise in Mexico City’s crime rate coincides with estimates

by local authorities of a 17% increase in drug consumption in the

capital over the past three years.

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10/1/2015 Spike in Mexico murder rate poses major test for embattled Peña Nieto ­ CSMonitor.com

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TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

(/csmlists/quizzes) | How much doyou know about Mexico? Take our quiz.(/World/Americas/2012/0701/How-much-do-you-know-about-Mexico-Take-our-quiz/What-does-the-5th-of-May-commemorate-in-Mexico)

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August marked the fourth consecutive month that homicides grew here, the

kind of “streak” the country hasn’t seen since 2010 (http://us10.campaign­

archive2.com/?

u=3882541618fbc6471691042c1&id=696505471f&e=3612642269), writes

security analyst Alejandro Hope in his daily newsletter Silver or Lead.

For Mr. Hope, this increase may have less to do

with how the streets are patrolled, and more to

do with Mexico’s struggling justice system.

(/World/Americas/2012/0701/How-much-do-you-know-about-Mexico-Take-our-quiz)

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10/1/2015 Spike in Mexico murder rate poses major test for embattled Peña Nieto ­ CSMonitor.com

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin­America­Monitor/2015/0930/Spike­in­Mexico­murder­rate­poses­major­test­for­embattled­Pena­Nieto 4/7

[H]omicides are rarely investigated and punished in Mexico.

“Getting away with murder” is a meaningless phrase in this

country. Most everyone that tries it literally gets away with

murder. Between 2000 and 2013, 215,000 people

(http://www.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/olap/proyectos/bd/continuas/mortalidad/defuncioneshom.asp?

s=est) were killed intentionally in Mexico. But as of 2013,

only 30,800

(http://www.inegi.org.mx/Sistemas/Olap/Proyectos/bd/censos/gobierno2013/CNGSPSPE2013/PobCentPenit.asp?

s=est&c=319441&proy=cngspspe2013_pobcentpenit) were in

prison for murder and manslaughter. And no, not all are serial

murderers.

There is very little effort to find, capture, and prosecute

murderers because homicide victims tend [to] belong to

politically marginalized groups. They are mostly young, poor,

and uneducated, living in fringe urban areas…. Murder will

become rare when it becomes expensive, i.e., when most murder

cases are solved. But that will not happen unless structural

political imbalances are corrected. Thus, we are in for the long

haul. 

Just over half of the Mexican population says the country isn’t safe,

according to the most recent AmericasBarometer report, published in 2014.

That has an impact on trust in the overall governing system

(http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2014/1206/Can­reforms­

change­Mexico­s­corrupt­police­culture­video), Elizabeth Zechmeister,

director of LAPOP at Vanderbilt University, told The Christian Science

Monitor late last year.

“

“

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10/1/2015 Spike in Mexico murder rate poses major test for embattled Peña Nieto ­ CSMonitor.com

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin­America­Monitor/2015/0930/Spike­in­Mexico­murder­rate­poses­major­test­for­embattled­Pena­Nieto 5/7

Across Latin America, citizens' fears about insecurity have risen

over the past decade, according to 2014 data released by the

(http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/free­access.php) Latin

American Public Opinion Project’s (LAPOP)

AmericasBarometer. Approval for local police performance has

fallen, and the average level of trust for national justice systems

has hit its lowest level since the survey began in 2004.

“When there’s less trust in a justice system, it tends to decrease

support for the [government] system as a whole,” says [Ms.]

Zechmeister…. “The exact consequences will vary across

countries, but … it’s symptomatic of a system failing to deliver,”

she says, adding that citizens may decide to circumvent

institutions like the police or courts, as seen in Mexico with the

rise of vigilante self­defense

(http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2014/0309/Mexico­

s­vigilantes­the­aftershocks­of­ousting­a­cartel­video)groups.

President Peña Nieto’s approval ratings reflect this dissatisfaction. His

approval has fallen dramatically, from 55 percent in August 2014 to 35

percent a year later, according to a Buendia&Laredo poll published earlier

this month. And according to a recent Pew Research Center survey,

approval is also low on "hot­button issues

(http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2015/0916/Mexican­

president­s­independence­cry­gets­a­testy­response) like the government's

management of security (35 percent), the economy (34 percent),

and education reform

(http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2015/0602/How­a­

Mexican­teacher­union­thwarted­president­s­education­reform) (43

percent)," The Christian Science Monitor reports.

In his state of the nation address earlier this month, Peña Nieto recognized

that violence, corruption, and Mexico’s economy were creating an

environment of distrust among citizens

(http://www.cp24.com/world/mexican­president­acknowledges­crime­

corruption­poverty­in­state­of­the­nation­speech­1.2545291), reports The

Associated Press. He pledged that he would spend the last half of his

administration combating corruption and crime.

"The last year has been a difficult one for Mexico," the president said in his

speech. "Our country has been deeply wounded by a series of regrettable

cases."

“Your e­mail address

 

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