On December 21st of 2017, the former Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto created a new law known as Ley de Seguridad Interior (Law of Internal Security) with the intention of reducing crime and violence. This law supposedly was to guard the internal security of the country while acerting the authority of the president. However, in reality, what this law did was maintaining governability by placing the military in public security. Inserting armed forces in the streets for national security is a poor demonstration of internal security, and a dangerous choice as well. It demonstrates no comprehension of public security and a true disconnection with the public institutions of the 32 states of the country. According to article 21 of the Mexican Constitution public security is a task of the federation, the states and the municipalities. Therefore, in 2019 the Ley de Seguridad Interior was declared as completely invalid because the Supreme Court of Justice marked it as unconstitutional.
Peña’s successor, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, continued with the militarization of public and internal security in the name of national security. He declared that police forces were not fit for their purpose and decided to create a new group called Guardia Nacional (National Guard). The Federal Police disappeared, and all functions were transferred completely to the newly created National Guard. Officially it is formed by 2411 policemen and women from the Federal Police, 5584 from the Naval Police, 35232 from the Military Police, and 15375 soldiers from the army. This is alarming because the militia is trained for war and to fight, not to investigate, resolve and prevent crime.
Mexico currently counts with 7 police groups that should work together and coordinate most operations. So, what seems to be the issue? Do we genuinely need more police groups patrolling the streets? The truth is that the National Guard and the Law if Internal Security are just like a finger trying to block the sun. Mexico has been living for decades now the rise of criminal activity and violence, along with the crumbling of its police forces. Police officers at a municipality level earn around 13000 pesos per month, the same as police forces of every state of the Republic. In the same manner, the National Guard earns 15000 pesos per month. Thus, no wonder becoming corrupt is such an attractive option. If public and internal security was a priority to the government as the president claims it is, better salaries, training, and healthcare would be given to police forces. Moreover, there are municipalities in the country that do not even have their own police force; there are not enough trained police officers to cover all population. Thus, instead of merging public security with national security, such systematic issues should be resolved.
At the same time, all of this throws democracy into a very dangerous zone because people begin to relate poor security and corrupt police officers with this type of government. In addition, in a desperate need for protection they start to ask for more militarization, believing it is the only way. Due to the actions of certain governmental authorities, they conclude that even stricter national security plans are needed, when in fact this is all an illusion created by those who acted wrong. Often security has different faces and aspects that as common citizens we do not identify so easily. For instance, there is internal security, public security, and national security; each with its importance and ways of affecting the population. For a democratic nation-state to be successful these three different levels of security should be accounted for. Likewise, for every national security plan to be fruitful it is key to understand that such terms are not the same in anyway and cannot be interchangeable, but they do complement one another. Additionally, it should also be a plan with an objective and clear strategy without specific political alignment. Sadly, Mexico is a country that serves as an example of what happens negatively when all these aspects become convoluted.
