Massive March prompts government reaction: authorities scramble to battle organized crime; results mixed.

After hundreds of thousands of people participated in a June 27 march against crime in Mexico City, authorities stumbled all over themselves to show they heard the call for action. Time will tell if government proposals will be effective, but in the days immediately after the demonstration "stumbled" did appear to be the operative word.

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The march was triggered by a series of highly publicized kidnap and murder cases and many demonstrators appeared to be motivated by frustration over the partisan political brawls that were preventing enactment of much-needed structural reforms. The fact that a majority of the marchers were from the middle and upper classes--as evidenced by the chic white clothing sported by many demonstrators--certainly caught the attention of politicians.

Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador opted to focus on perceived political manipulation of the march to support his theory that he is the victim of a plot to derail his chances of winning the 2006 presidential election. The mayor insisted the extreme right was behind the protest which was aimed at discrediting his government, while also blaming the media for inflaming passions and overpublicizing the march.

When his own party distanced itself from these accusations--which prompted some political analysts to call the mayor "demented" and "paranoid"--Lopez Obrador softened his remarks and admitted that "many people took part of their own free will because they believe crime is a serious problem in the city and in the country." But instead of responding to the demand for action, the mayor chose to defend his government's performance and insisted his administration is slowly winning the fight against crime.

ANTI-CRIME PLAN PUBLICIZED

In contrast, President Vicente Fox acted pragmatically. The day of the march, his office released a press bulletin in which the president expressed solidarity with the marchers and assured them he was listening to their demands. Fox met with the leaders of the march at Los Pinos a few days later and promised action. Within a week, he had announced an ambitious 10-point anticrime plan and promised to publish results of his proposal within 60 days.

Fox's anti-crime plan includes more funding for crime fighting, greater coordination with state authorities in battling organized crime and improving cooperation among police forces.

Six days after the march, Fox made a major policy speech at the headquarters of the Federal Investigation Agency (AFI) and declared the fight against crime a matter of national security.

Unfortunately, the very next day, the media had a field day covering a story which highlighted the inefficiency of Mexico's public security infrastructure. Three AFI officials were arrested by federal agents on charges of theft and trafficking in contraband. Eventually, the AFI officials were released, despite being in possession of voter registration forms which are the sole purview of the Federal Electoral Institute. In a further twist, the federal agents now face criminal charges for abuse of authority and making illegal arrests.

Despite these missteps, the fight against crime is now at the top of the political agenda at both the federal and the local levels. Congress briefly toyed with the idea of calling a special session to consider new anti-crime legislation. A special session remains a possibility but congressional attention has moved toward the debate on how to save social security. Furthermore, the Institutional Revolutionary Party has threatened to cut off dialogue with the Fox administration over the government's probe into the so-called "Dirty War" of the 60s and 70s. This eventual conflict could scuttle any hope of smooth negotiations for anti-crime legislation.

LOCAL OFFICIALS RESPOND

Positive results have been evident at the state and regional levels.

Officials in central Mexico convened an anti-kidnapping summit on July 5. The officials from eight states and the Federal District agreed to find ways to share responsibility and resources, especially along borders. Often, kidnappings occur in one state and the victim is held in another which results in jurisdictional problems for investigators.

The need to unify criminal codes--especially regarding sentencing guidelines for violent crimes--was agreed upon. Plans for a heavy show of force on July 13 were also announced. Officials said 25,000 policemen would be ordered to conduct spot checks of city buses and set up roadblocks in high-risk areas throughout eight states in central Mexico and the Federal District.

As a result of the operation, 164 people were arrested, the majority of which were charged with either robbery or assault. By way of comparison, a typical day in Mexico City nets 60 arrests; on July 13 city police arrested 105 suspects. Elsewhere, only 59 arrests were made, while in Morelos six heavily armed men robbed an armored truck and killed a police officer who tried to prevent the heist. More troubling is the declaration by a human rights official that the entire operation was unconstitutional.

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The National Conference of Governors unanimously called for a national anti-crime summit, which federal Public Security Secretary Alejandro Gertz Manero immediately signed onto. Five days later, on July 14, President Fox lent support to the proposal during a meeting of the National Public Security Council, which is comprised of federal prosecutors and state governors and attorneys general. At the meeting, Fox announced he would seek to hike the 2005 federal budget outlay for crime fighting by 100 percent, an increase of nearly US$100 million.

Gertz Manero acted as moderator during the council meeting and helped broker an agreement on how the new funds would be distributed among the states. Fox sought 100 percent commitment from the state officials that cooperation would be a priority.

"A comprehensive war on crime requires a unified front, determined political will from the authorities, as well as teamwork and a sense of shared responsibility if we are to win," Fox said. "We must be accountable for our actions."

Fox said he will reconvene the council in 30 days and will invite civic leaders, legislators and members of the judiciary to attend. "We must assess our progress in detail and make the necessary adjustments," he said. "We must also close ranks because any discord we show can only encourage the criminal element."

Gertz Manero told reporters the National Statistics Institute has been commissioned to conduct a crime survey, specifically in relation to the national public security system. Results of the survey are expected in December.

DESPERATE FOR RESULTS

Political analysts have lent support to a proposal being championed by presidential hopeful Jorge Castaneda. The former foreign relations secretary insists crimefighting efforts would be simplified if a national police force were created. The idea would be to unify law enforcement officials into one body, thus eliminating confusion over jurisdiction and inter-agency power struggles. This idea was getting positive press in mid-July.

Beyond government proposals, anticrime summits and declarations of war on crime, the only thing that will satisfy the public at this juncture is an end to impunity. Large-scale operations are not convincing, especially when many people believe police officials and former policemen are involved in organized crime.

Cries for stricter sentencing procedures or the adoption of the death penalty--several posters advocating capital punishment were carried by protestors at the mega-march--will not reduce crime, says Carlos Tello Diaz in the July 4 Proceso, unless the application of justice becomes a reality.

The citation of statistics that indicate a drop in crime (which both Gertz Manero and Lopez Obrador have done in the past month) is also not enough to convince a skeptical public. The only thing that will satisfy a public increasingly consumed by fear is an effective judicial system. And there is no quick fix or secret recipe for this. It will take a great deal of effort for the authorities to regain the trust of the public. Hopefully, the June 27 mega-march was the impetus necessary to get this process underway.

Photos by Antonio Nava

Tom Buckley is the associate editor of BUSINESS MEXICO.