What the global data reveals
– In 2024, 23.1 million people aged 18 Or more were victims of some crime. This is equivalent to a criminal prevalence rate of 24,135 victims per 100,000 inhabitants.
– 33.5 million crimes were estimated occurred during that year, with a rate of 34,918 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants, a statistically higher than 2023.
– The most frequent crimes were fraudwith a rate of 7,574 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants; followed by theft or assault on street or public transport, with 6,003, and extortion, with 5,971.
– The hidden figure is amazing: Only 9.6 % of the 33.5 million crimes occurred before the Public Ministry. This means that 93.2 % of crimes did not result in complaint or investigation folder.
– Regarding the economic cost added of the crime269.6 billion pesos were estimated at the national level (around 1.07 % of GDP), with average losses of 6,226 pesos per affected person.
Criticism of the current strategy
The Mexican authorities have concentrated much of their efforts, public communication and resources in combating crimes of high media impact – homicides, organized crime, drug trafficking – which makes sense to some extent, but leaves without attending a reality that hits the population more massively: the crimes of the common jurisdiction. When a family loses how little he has fraud, when a person is afraid to go out at night due to theft in the street, when a passenger is assaulted in public transport, the impact on the quality of life and the perception of insecurity is multiplied.
The almost absolute hidden figure – more than 90 % of crimes are not denounced – shows not only that victims do not trust that denouncing serves something, but often do not even have effective access to justice mechanisms, or feel that it will be a useless or too expensive process in time, money or personal risk.
In addition, the policies that are announced in large operations, military-political reinforcements or media arrests, have a limited effect if they are not accompanied by measures that prevent daily crimes, improve local institutions for the procurement of justice, promote the complaint, and guarantee truth, repair, monitoring and real impact.
Concrete proposals
To correct this lag and build a more comprehensive public security strategy, write the following proposals:
– Strengthening local institutional.
– Increase resources and capacities of state and municipal prosecutors. Much of the common jurisdiction is under its competence, but they lack experts, forensic technology, research staff, adequate infrastructure.
– Simplification of procedures for the complaint: Clear protocols, unique windows, use of technology for submission of safe digital complaints; Flexible schedules.
– Transparencyaccountability and monitoring
– Periodic and disaggregated publication (municipalities, specific crimes) of the “hidden figure”, as well as real results: how many complaints become investigation folders, how many are resolved with repair or sanction.
– Citizen Supervision Mechanisms (with civil society participation) of public ministries and local police, external audits, citizen councils that are not pantomime of local governments.
– Prevention From the near.
– Focalized programs In urban or peri -urban areas with a high incidence of theft in street, transport, assaults, threats: public lighting, community surveillance, social meeting spaces, cultural and sports activities that occupy times and spaces for young people.
– Citizen Education To detect fraud, virtual threats, extortion: clear, accessible campaigns, even using social networks, schools, community centers.
– Encourage The complaint.
– Institutional trust campaigns: Show resolved cases, restitution, testimonies of victims who were treated, to break the idea that “it is useless.”
– Protection of victims: so that there are no reprisals, legal, psychological accompaniment; Ensure that the complaint does not mean exposing additional risks.
– Institutional incentives: Improvements in attention to victims, maximum terms to initiate investigation folders, strict protocols when a complaint is filed.
– Decentralization of the security approach.
– That the federal budget support state/muncipal programs based on local evidence (data sent by entity and municipality). Not “unique size.”
– Promote alliances Among municipal governments, state forces, Federal Police, with clear coordination (no overlaps) and defined responsibilities.
