Cancun, Q.R. — Cancun now has reinforced security measures that include smart cameras and jet skis. The announcement was made after a recent Cancun meeting between local and national security officials.
Governor Mara Lezama says the reinforcements will work to reduce crimes such as intentional homicide, extortion, kidnapping and violent robberies, in addition to neutralizing criminal networks and improving security in conflict zones.
Since the meeting, which took place last week, reinforced strategies have been announced for the city, which include the installation of around 70 smart surveillance cameras in the Cancun Hotel Zone.
The first pole, with a capacity of 4.5 kilometers of observation, has already been placed. Additional cameras will be installed along busy beach areas in Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
Four jet skis will be added to the heightened national security strategy mix to monitor Cancun beaches. An additional 600 military personnel have already arrived in the state to reinforce security on foot.
The news came after a C5 meeting between the Secretary of SSPC, Omar García Harfuch, Governor Mara Lezama and other security members including the Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles.
Military heads from the Army, Navy and National Guard, together with the National Intelligence Center, the Secretariat of Citizen Security and the State Government, presented a strategy that will be applied.
According to Governor Lezama, the strategy includes four axes: Attention to the Causes, Consolidation of the National Guard, Strengthening of Intelligence and Investigation and Absolute Coordination in the Security Cabinet with the Federative Entities.
“Neutralize generators of violence and criminal networks, focusing on areas with a high incidence of crime and reinforce the detention of the main generators of violence in each entity, mprove dialogue with sectors of society to achieve peace in the country,” she reported in a statement.
In Cancun, 70 new intelligent monitoring points (PMI) will be added. James Tobin, Coordinator of the Citizen Roundtables for Security and Justice, reported that as part of the reinforcement, the placement of surveillance and security posts with high-end cameras on the beaches of Cancun has already begun.
According to Tobin, 15 cameras will be installed along a three-kilometer stretch in the Playacar area of Playa del Carmen. “There is talk of 20 or more kilometers of irregular coastline in Cancun, it should be larger, perhaps one camera for each kilometer.”
The placement, he said, depends on the availability that the hotels have. He reported that the first high tech security camera has already been placed in the hotel zone, but for security reasons, the location has not been made public.
He also confirmed the arrival of 600 Marina to reinforce security. He says there will also be an increase in Cancun Hotel Zone Tourist Police from 20 officers to 70 officers.
He reported that the Army is reinforcing security on roads and areas that are considered hotspots.
In light of the increase in beach area crime, Governor Lezama requested support from the Navy. Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, the Secretary of the Navy, responded by sending jet skis to patrol the coastal strip.
Four navy jet skis will patrol 25 kilometers of the Cancun coast including the mainland from Isla Mujeres to Puerto Juarez. The decision was made after several criminals used jet skis as a successful means of getaway transportation from crime scenes.
The maritime patrols, which will be conducted by the Mexican Navy, are part of the new national security strategy, considering that surveillance of coasts and beaches is a federal responsibility.