Cancun, Q.R. — The police elements of Quintana Roo still need more training, admitted the Secretary of State Public Security (SSP) in a recent press conference. Lucio Hernández Gutiérrez, who heads the state’s security, says they acknowledge the distrust felt by residents toward police.
Hernández said many Quintana Roo residents, in Cancun in particular, experience violent events. He says police still lack, but they are looking for ways to change these conditions, starting with better training of officers.
“We still lack, of course we do. I also understand that citizens mistrust the authorities out of fear of reprisals, out of panic that they get when they receive a call where the other side is a threatening voice. Some of them respond to those threats by complying and not reporting it.
“That ties the hands of all institutions,” he said.
The reality, he explained, is that public perception is something that must be worked on because as the Secretary of Public Security, they are not satisfied with the public perception among residents. He said despite a positive increase, they are not at levels the agency would like.
“We still have a long way to go to transform citizen perception around security institutions, around the feeling of security in a geography,” he said.
Last week, the SSP announced new strategies to combat crime and insecurity. On Wednesday night, governor Carlos Joaquin announced the arrival of additional National Guard, army and navy personnel to Cancun.
During his Mexican Caribbean forum, he said they arrived four and five days ago, but did not provide figures as to how many arrived.
