đ Share this article Daily Homicides in the nation Decline Thirty-Seven Percent In President Sheinbaum, According to Official Statistics The average figure of per-day homicides monthly in Mexico has dropped by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum began her term, according to new official data. However, public safety specialists have cautioned that homicide figures could fail to indicate improved countrywide safety. Significant Reduction in Daily Numbers Officials reported an mean of almost 55 killings a day in November versus almost 87 when the President took the presidency in the previous September. This data was delivered by the head of the countryâs national public security agency, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's daily press briefing on a recent Tuesday. âThe outcome in killings that we have seen over these months is remarkably important,â the President said, explaining that in November the least figure of homicides were registered for any November in the last decade. Historical Context and Official Plan Fierce cartel internal conflicts, coupled with the governmentâs highly military efforts to confront the trafficking organizations, have led to Mexicoâs murder rate rise sharply in recent times. The rate peaked at a maximum of 36,773 killings in 2020, according to the nation's national statistics office. That resulted in Mexico a murder rate more than four times higher than the United States. Since then, murders have been on the decline, declining to 33,550 the previous year. Claudia Sheinbaum has credited her national security approach for an apparently more pronounced drop in killings in the current year. At a media briefing in the summer, the President stated: âWe have a strategy, there is oversight of the plan, and we have detailed monitoring municipality by municipality in certain cases. The strategy works. And we have to keep working at it daily.â The central elements of Sheinbaumâs security strategy involve: Reinforcing Mexicoâs domestic security force. Enhancing information gathering and investigative capabilities. Increased collaboration between government agencies. Expert Warnings and Data Concerns Nevertheless, public safety analysts cautioned that relying on murder statistics to draw a conclusion of improved security was misleading. This is notably true in light of the rise in other crimes such as people going missing. âThis would be very good news if this was a decrease, but I think we shouldn't just focus on the murder numbers and think: âWell then, great,ââ said Cecilia FarfĂĄn-MĂ©ndez, an expert on Mexico's cartels. âI would be guardedly optimistic.â Per the policy research thinktank Mexico EvalĂșa, homicides in total dropped by more than 20% in the first 10 months of this year relative to the same period the previous year. But, disappearances have increased by 15% and in some regions have surged by up to 200%. âNumbers on murders is not useful for estimating the context of violence,â stated Armando Vargas, a security analyst at Mexico EvalĂșa. âFirst, we have police and prosecutors who lack the capacity or the desire to accurately recognize and categorize bodies. Second, organised [criminals] ⊠have the means to mask violent acts through abductions.â Vargas pointed out that using month-to-month means of daily killings was additionally problematic because it might hide days when there were notably spiking levels of murders. âUsing the daily average makes spikes of violence invisible,â he stated. Arrests and Confiscations as Metrics of Progress An area where the administration can highlight the success of its security strategy is on detentions and seizures. Nearly 40,000 individuals were apprehended between last October and this past November for major crimes, according to official figures. Over 20,000 firearms were seized and 311 tonnes of drugs seized. âDonald Trump can't accuse President Sheinbaum of not acting, because actually she is doing a lot with these thousands of detentions, thousands of seizures, and all the tactical weakening of organised crime. Itâs very politically beneficial,â said Vargas. Ongoing Violence and Societal Frustration But in spite of these actions, Mexico is still beset by severe bloodshed, with multiple regions in the throes of cartel-driven bloodshed. Recently there was a prominent assassination of a popular local official in the state of Michoacan, among 10 local leaders killed in the past year. A short time after, thousands of young people took to the streets in the capital and throughout the country to express their frustration at graft and narco-violence. âThe administration frames [data] in a manner to construct a narrative of security. From a political standpoint itâs highly effective, from a social perspective itâs extremely problematic,â Vargas remarked.
The average figure of per-day homicides monthly in Mexico has dropped by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum began her term, according to new official data. However, public safety specialists have cautioned that homicide figures could fail to indicate improved countrywide safety. Significant Reduction in Daily Numbers Officials reported an mean of almost 55 killings a day in November versus almost 87 when the President took the presidency in the previous September. This data was delivered by the head of the countryâs national public security agency, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's daily press briefing on a recent Tuesday. âThe outcome in killings that we have seen over these months is remarkably important,â the President said, explaining that in November the least figure of homicides were registered for any November in the last decade. Historical Context and Official Plan Fierce cartel internal conflicts, coupled with the governmentâs highly military efforts to confront the trafficking organizations, have led to Mexicoâs murder rate rise sharply in recent times. The rate peaked at a maximum of 36,773 killings in 2020, according to the nation's national statistics office. That resulted in Mexico a murder rate more than four times higher than the United States. Since then, murders have been on the decline, declining to 33,550 the previous year. Claudia Sheinbaum has credited her national security approach for an apparently more pronounced drop in killings in the current year. At a media briefing in the summer, the President stated: âWe have a strategy, there is oversight of the plan, and we have detailed monitoring municipality by municipality in certain cases. The strategy works. And we have to keep working at it daily.â The central elements of Sheinbaumâs security strategy involve: Reinforcing Mexicoâs domestic security force. Enhancing information gathering and investigative capabilities. Increased collaboration between government agencies. Expert Warnings and Data Concerns Nevertheless, public safety analysts cautioned that relying on murder statistics to draw a conclusion of improved security was misleading. This is notably true in light of the rise in other crimes such as people going missing. âThis would be very good news if this was a decrease, but I think we shouldn't just focus on the murder numbers and think: âWell then, great,ââ said Cecilia FarfĂĄn-MĂ©ndez, an expert on Mexico's cartels. âI would be guardedly optimistic.â Per the policy research thinktank Mexico EvalĂșa, homicides in total dropped by more than 20% in the first 10 months of this year relative to the same period the previous year. But, disappearances have increased by 15% and in some regions have surged by up to 200%. âNumbers on murders is not useful for estimating the context of violence,â stated Armando Vargas, a security analyst at Mexico EvalĂșa. âFirst, we have police and prosecutors who lack the capacity or the desire to accurately recognize and categorize bodies. Second, organised [criminals] ⊠have the means to mask violent acts through abductions.â Vargas pointed out that using month-to-month means of daily killings was additionally problematic because it might hide days when there were notably spiking levels of murders. âUsing the daily average makes spikes of violence invisible,â he stated. Arrests and Confiscations as Metrics of Progress An area where the administration can highlight the success of its security strategy is on detentions and seizures. Nearly 40,000 individuals were apprehended between last October and this past November for major crimes, according to official figures. Over 20,000 firearms were seized and 311 tonnes of drugs seized. âDonald Trump can't accuse President Sheinbaum of not acting, because actually she is doing a lot with these thousands of detentions, thousands of seizures, and all the tactical weakening of organised crime. Itâs very politically beneficial,â said Vargas. Ongoing Violence and Societal Frustration But in spite of these actions, Mexico is still beset by severe bloodshed, with multiple regions in the throes of cartel-driven bloodshed. Recently there was a prominent assassination of a popular local official in the state of Michoacan, among 10 local leaders killed in the past year. A short time after, thousands of young people took to the streets in the capital and throughout the country to express their frustration at graft and narco-violence. âThe administration frames [data] in a manner to construct a narrative of security. From a political standpoint itâs highly effective, from a social perspective itâs extremely problematic,â Vargas remarked.