From hugs not bullets to the commitment to intelligence to stop violence

Similarities and differences of AMLO and Sheinbaum’s strategy

Entrusted to her Secretary of Security, Claudia Sheinbaum’s strategy proposes four axes and three objectives, which go beyond addressing the causes that cause violence, as her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, did, but which shares some aspects.

The strategy of the president of Mexico proposes: attention to the causes, consolidation of the National Guard, strengthening of intelligence and investigation and coordination between the federal government and the 32 entities of the country.

The priority objectives will be to reduce the incidence of crime, neutralize generators of violence and criminal networks and strengthen the prevention and social proximity capabilities of local police forces.

As part of the strategy, it seeks to consolidate the National Intelligence System, create the Undersecretary of Intelligence and Police Investigation, strengthen the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, regional diagnoses to prioritize the six most violent entities (Guanajuato, Baja California , Chihuahua, Guerrero, Jalisco and Sinaloa).

Six years ago, the then president-elect presented the National Peace and Security Plan 2018-2024, which It was made up of eight axesamong them: eradicate corruption and reactivate the Justice Department, guarantee employment, education and health, respect and promotion of human rights, reformulate the fight against drugs and undertake the construction of peace.

For Armando Vargas, There are similarities and continuity between both strategiesespecially when it comes to addressing the causes.

“I see continuity of López Obrador’s strategy, also with respect to certain aspects of Felipe Calderón’s policy and even Enrique Peña Nieto’s policy, especially what has to do with attention to the causes and intergovernmental coordination. These components have always been present in politics or at least in the speeches of the last four presidents. So it seems to me that we are going to see there or there is continuity there,” he highlights.

Sheinbaum also proposes resort to the National Guard to address violence in the country. This is a security body that operates in 2019, It has almost 120,000 elements and today depends on the Secretariat of National Defense. Despite having three times more members than the defunct Federal Police, makes fewer arrests than that corporation : on average seven every day.

Organizations such as Mexico United Against Crime (MUCD) warned of risks if the military is in charge of security.

“From the perspective of the President of the Federal Executive, this strategy will seek to create a “lasting peace” in the country, but this will not be achieved if, in its backbone, it continues to prioritize – and deny – militarization. “This strategy follows the same line as the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with the intensive use of the Armed Forces (FFAA) in security tasks, despite the serious risks that this represents,” the organization warned in a statement.