Pubdate: Thu, 8 Mar 2007
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 2007 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspaper
Contact:  http://www.chron.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198
Author: Marion Lloyd
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Mexico (Mexico)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Felipe+Calderon

CALDERON UNVEILS A NEW CRIME-FIGHTING STRATEGY

MEXICO CITY -- President Felipe Calderon, his country tormented by 
drug-gang violence, unveiled a comprehensive anti-crime strategy 
Wednesday that calls for merging Mexico's four federal police forces 
and for enlisting citizen groups in the battle against corrupt cops.

The program also includes the creation of the country's first 
national criminal database, the professionalization of federal police 
and prison officers, and the expansion of efforts to fight soaring 
domestic drug addiction.

Calderon, who took office in December, asked Congress to "approve 
ever-increasing resources to give our police the latest in technology."

"What's at stake is nothing less than the present and future of 
Mexico," said Calderon, who was joined by his security cabinet and 
civic watchdog groups. "The challenge is clear and unavoidable. We 
cannot afford to waste time or effort."

That includes confronting the warring drug gangs, whose increasingly 
ruthless tactics left more than 2,000 people dead last year across Mexico.

A need for unity The violence has continued. On Tuesday, the federal 
police chief of Tabasco state, Francisco Fernandez, narrowly escaped 
assassination after suspected drug cartel hit men sprayed his car 
with more than 50 bullets, killing his driver. The southern 
oil-producing state is one of several recently sucked into the drug 
war because traffickers, fleeing military pursuit, have expanded into 
new territories.

"It's a battle in which we must all unite, leaving behind political, 
social and regional differences," Calderon said.

Such grandiose presidential programs are a staple of Mexico's 
populist-style democracy and often fail to reach their goals. But 
analysts said Calderon's approach went further than that of previous 
governments in involving broad sectors of society in the war against 
crime and just might prove successful.

"Fighting crime isn't just a matter of police," said Jorge Chabat, a 
security expert and commentator in Mexico City. "It's about police, 
judges, prisons and citizen groups that monitor the government."

Since taking office Dec. 1, Calderon has thrown himself into the war 
on crime, deploying federal troops that he says number 20,000 to 
battle the drug gangs in eight states, including two bordering Texas. 
He has also authorized extraditions to the United States of suspected 
narcotics kingpins and is reportedly planning to send another 30 or 
40 drug suspects to America.

His government is also in the midst of merging the four federal 
police forces, although congressional approval is needed to finalize 
the process. They include: the Federal Preventive Police, the Federal 
Investigative Agency, the Immigration Police and the Customs Police.

Those are the flashiest pieces of his anti-crime drive. But there are 
also subtler measures currently making their way through Congress, 
which experts say could prove more effective over the long term. One 
would implement U.S.-style oral trials nationwide in a bid to make 
the judicial process fairer and more efficient.

Former President Vicente Fox proposed similar measures, including the 
criminal database. But he failed to secure support from Congress and 
state governments, who must order their police to share information 
with the federal authorities.

Negotiating for allies By contrast, Calderon, has already shown 
himself to be a shrewd negotiator. In January, all 31 state governors 
pledged their support for the crime database and promised to push 
through police reforms at the state and municipal levels.

That accord is a good start, but could backfire unless it is 
accompanied by effective anti-corruption measures, Chabat said.

Calderon appears aware of the problem. He has asked citizens' groups, 
including business associations and churches, to serve as watchdogs, 
reporting abuses by the police and corrupt officers.

[sidebar]

CASH BOOST

To counter drug gang violence and other crime, Mexico -- with a 
federal budget of $205 billion -- is spending an additional:

$1.2 billion: For public security, a 51 percent increase.

$2.9 billion: For the military, a 23 percent increase.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake