Local police in the city of Culiacan, Mexico have been pulled off the streets after the Mexican Army seized their guns, officials announced Monday. This came just one day after about 1,500 residents of Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, held a march Sunday through the city’s downtown to demand peace.
Ruben Rocha, the state’s governor, said Monday the entire 1,000-member municipal police force would not return to duty until they get their weapons back. Soldiers, state police and National Guard will take over patrolling until then.
Rocha said the seizure of the weapons for inspection of their permits and serial numbers was not a routine check, but rather was “exceptional,” and said “we hope it will end soon.”
After almost a week, since September 25, when the inspection began, members of the Municipal Police of Culiacán remain stationed due to the weapons inspection process led by SEDENA.
“The weapon [sic] has been seized for inspection by the Municipal Police of Culiacán. The law establishes two inspections of weapons by the Collective Official License (LOC) and sometimes extraordinary inspections can be carried out. This is an extraordinary inspection, it is not about disarming, it is about applying the law to collect and examine,” explained Rocha Moya.
For this procedure, military personnel analyze each of the Municipal Police weapons in order to verify their condition, as well as to identify whether there has been misuse of the weapons. It is to essentially ensure that none of the weapons used by police forces have been involved in murders or shootings with the weapons.
“We have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population. We have covered the different areas with shared responsibility between federal and state forces,” he said.
However, the timing with increasing violence, looting and kidnappings in the city and other areas of Sinaloa is questionable. Collecting all at once instead of in batches and stating a week later the police will not return to duty until their weapons are given back looks closer to disarmament under the guise of an inspection.
Looting
The mayor of Culiacán, Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil, confirmed that 25 robberies of businesses were recorded on September 28. Rocha announced emergency loans of 5,000 pesos to small businesses being affected by the violence or closures in Culiacan to help stabilize the economy in Sinaloa.
Larger loans can also be requested. The Culiacán City Council is offering emergency financial support to merchants, street vendors and self-employed workers as well.
Governor Rubén Rocha Moya reiterated that the Municipal Police is not currently participating in patrol and surveillance operations in Culiacán, but that the actions are instead led by the Mexican Army , the National Guard, Air Base No. 10 and the State Police.
Miguel Calderón Quevedo, head of the State Public Security Council (CESP), highlighted that before the recent outbreaks of violence in Culiacán, robberies in the city center had decreased significantly thanks to a joint operation between merchants and municipal authorities.
The official recalled that the strategy showed positive results in just a few days, managing to reduce crime to zero in the area.
However, given the increase in insecurity, Calderón Quevedo said that the current situation represents both a challenge and an opportunity. “In the face of this power vacuum, from my optimistic perspective, we also see a great opportunity to clean up the police forces,” he said.
According to the activist, violence and corruption in local governments, not only in Culiacán but throughout the country, are critical issues that need to be addressed. Calderón Quevedo stressed that purging the police forces is essential to reduce the negative impact of those elements that do not act honestly.
“It is an opportunity to improve the day-to-day operations of the security forces,” he said, adding that this action could strengthen public confidence.
He noted that retailers have already begun to organize themselves through internal information networks to protect their customers and employees.
