Forums > General > General Forum

raferguson

Nov 19, 2009, 9:10 PM

Post #1 of 6 (2580 views)

Shortcut

Latest survey shows safest states in Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

This is an annual survey of households. One of the key advantages of this survey, compared to the government numbers, is that it includes crimes not reported to the authorities. This is particularly important in Mexico, where fewer than 25% of crimes are reported.

The five states where you are least likely to be a victim of crime are Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Yucatan and Zacatecas.

The five states where you are most likely to be a victim of crime are Mexico City, Mexico State, Sonora, Aguascalientes, and Baja California. (Yes, I know that Mexico DF is not a state, but they report the data as if it was a state).

The survey report is in Spanish, but many of the tables, including the one on page 19, are self explanatory, even if your Spanish is limited. Click on the 2009 report.
http://www.icesi.org.mx/...Nacionales_ensi6.asp

I wanted to post the link for those who might be interested. I probably will not engage in discussions about the report, as discussions about crime in Mexico tend to be somewhat uncivil. I would suggest that the report contains a great deal of information that should be of interest to anyone concerned about crime in Mexico.

Richard

http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

Zorba

Nov 20, 2009, 4:19 AM

Post #2 of 6 (2554 views)

Shortcut

Re: [raferguson] Latest survey shows safest states in Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Thanks for the post. Very interesting. Hmmmm. I dont know. That Chiapas border with Guatemala is wild.
Are the states listed with the least crime also the least populated and vice versa?

(This post was edited by Zorba on Nov 20, 2009, 4:19 AM)

Brian

Nov 20, 2009, 6:27 AM

Post #3 of 6 (2518 views)

Shortcut

Re: [raferguson] Latest survey shows safest states in Mexico

Can't Post |

Here is my hunch about why this may be so. With the exception of Zacatecas, the states within the "safest" category are characterized by a heavy indigenous population. Villagers have a tendency to deal with delinquents directly without relying so much upon the government to protect them. I could be wrong but I think the threat of immediate vigilante justice is much more intimidating for criminals than arrest by the police and prosecution in the courts which rarely lead to convictions.

Brian

(This post was edited by Brian on Nov 20, 2009, 6:32 AM)

Zorba

Nov 20, 2009, 10:21 AM

Post #4 of 6 (2457 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Brian] Latest survey shows safest states in Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

I agree with you. Even in the semi-rural area where I live, people know who did what most of the time even if the police don't. However, the city of Tapachula is likely another story. Lots of crime there it would seem to me. However, a lot of the hairy shit that goes on in that area is directed towards central american migrants and not so much the Mexican population. The vigilante theory holds water though because that could be the situation in most of the state.

Hound Dog

Nov 20, 2009, 3:15 PM

Post #5 of 6 (2403 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Zorba] Latest survey shows safest states in Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Good comments, Zorba and Brian but I just don´t know what these sorts of statistics mean to folks living in the designated regions so what the hell does this sort of statistical survey have to do with anything that means anything to anybody but competing law enforcement agencies seeking funding allotments or political advantage?

We live in both Jalisco and Chiapas and here is the paradox. Intuitively, I would say Chiapas is much more violent than Jalisco in general but, practically, I feel much safer in my home in Chiapas than I do in my home in Jalisco while, in isolated rural lands I would probably feel unease in either political jurisdiction if alone so what does that tell me? Perhaps, that I have no idea what I am talking about but gut discernment is sometimes more compelling than dry statistical data so of what use is this data base to me as a homeowner and traveler about in Mexico in disparate regions?

Thanks, Richard, for publishing these statistics but they have no value whatsoever in guiding the stranger in deciding where to settle.

From the French movie Les Ripoux filmed sometime in the 1970s I believe:

(The new trainee detective in a Paris district has, upon his first day on duty, captured a purse snatcher in the act, apprehended him and brought the purse snatcher and his female victim to the police station to press charges against the fiend)

TRAINEE: Look, boss, I have captured this purse snatcher in the act, recovered the purse and present this criminal for appropriate disposition.
BOSS DETECTIVE: Excuse me madame, is this your purse?
VICTIM: Yessir.
BOSS DETECTIVE: Well, Madame, do you know this gentlemen to whom my assistant is referring?
VICTIM: No.
BOSS DETECTIVE: Well, madame, apparently you dropped your purse and this kindly gentleman has recovered it and has returned it to us for your benefit at the stationhouse. A most heartwarming event if I must say so myself. Would that Paris had more citizens of this sterling character. Here is your purse and thank you both for coming in. That is all. Goodbye.

(Purse snatcher and victim leave the room)

BOSS DETECTIVE TO TRAINEE: Fool! Imbecile! Moron! Don´t you know the new chief of police has just come into office promising to clean up the precinct after the past administration´s failures and cut crime by at least 50% and with your first independent act you come in here claiming this poor gentleman has snatched a purse right here under our noses? Have you no sense of correct protocal that you would embarrass the new chief and me with your irresponsible accusations? Are you seeking re-assignment to Marseilles?

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 20, 2009, 3:23 PM)

Hound Dog

Nov 21, 2009, 6:36 AM

Post #6 of 6 (2336 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Hound Dog] Latest survey shows safest states in Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Excuse me. In that excerpt I just posted about the 70s French movire Les Ripoux, I misspelled "protocol" and can no longer edit my mistake.

That movie Les Ripoux is no longer in print unfortunately but in more ways than the example above, it hit the nail on the head regarding corruption and statistical reporting whether by law enforcement authorities, politicians, bureacratic agencies or citizens. Later in the movie it develops that the boss detective is on the take from drug dealers and he recruits his new assistant/trainee into his corrupt practices. At one point in the movie, they are about to be caught redhanded by investators within the Paris police and are bound to be arrested, jailed and disgraced so the boss detective says to his still wet-behind-the-ears assistant detective,

"Look, there is no point in us both taking the rap for this so here´s what we do. I arrest you having caught you in the act and turn you over to internal affairs thus becoming a hero in the department. You go to jail for a while and lose your job in disgrace but I´ll hold on to your part of the take until you are released and you will have money to tide you over until you can find other employment. Since I will be a departmental hero, I will be in a good position to plead mercy within for your sadly misguided actions and pressure them to release you earlier than otherwise would be the case. Otherwise, we both go to jail forever in disgrace, they confiscate all the money and when we are released we are both destitute and without decent ways to earn a living."

The assistant detective goes along with the scheme and our crooked veteran detective is promoted and proclaimed a community hero in that precinct.

How often is this fictional story repeated in real life? Countless times, no doubt. Remember the movie Traffic?

As for crime statistice from homeowners, we have constantly monitored alarms on our homes in Mexico in Jalisco and Chiapas and three times in the past month those alarms have sounded and called the alarm company and/or police to one of our home and in all three cases the home invaders escaped upon tripping the alarm before either we could spot them or the police could apprehend them. Since, in all three cases the intended home invaders freaked upon setting off the alarm and fled having stolen nothing except our peace of mind, the home invasions are not reportable to the public prosecutor since nothing was stolen and we were not harmed and we fully understand and agree with that stance. They are way to busy these days investigating successful assaults, robberies and burglaries all over Mexico to take any time investigating intended crimes that did not come to fruition.

The point of the above paragraph is that we have had three attempted home invasions that are not a part of any staistical study regarding crime. Multiply that by countless other attempted criminal acts that were unsuccessful. Had we not had alarm systems, one of our homes would have been invaded for the intention of burlarizing or robbing or assaulting us. In one case, by the way, clearly some workman we hired to work inside our house had duplicated our house keys and provided them to those who attempted to enter our home with a set of our duplicated house keys. Of course, the locks have all been changed since but that doesn´t chane the fact that had we not had an alarm system we would certainly have been victimized that night at 4:00AM. Guard your home keys at all times when you have outsiders in your home.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 21, 2009, 7:09 AM)