Federal Police in Mexico. Image: Presidencia de la República Mexicana. Flikr. Some rights reserved.
Various obstacles have prevented real police reform from happening in Mexico. Officers lack adequate training and support, receive dismal salaries, and must work long hours because of understaffing - all of which hampers their ability to fulfill their duties. At worst, these difficulties make officers highly susceptible to corruption and infiltration from organized crime groups.
The public has taken note. Out of all of Mexico’s security forces, citizens have the least confidence in the police. Just 6.1% of them have confidence in the federal police, while only 4.6% are confident in the municipal police, according to interviews with 1.200 citizens for an August 2018 survey conducted by the Social Studies and Public Opinion Center (CESOP) of Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies.
