Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Mutineers Will be Relocated, Violence is Down: Facundo Rosas Rosas

The Federal Police Commissioner to Juarez, Facundo Rosas Rosas, told reporters yesterday the 248 persons who participated in the mutiny against their commander, Salomón Alarcón Romero, have been relocated and have already been replaced in Juarez. Alarcon, Ricardo Duque Chávez, Joel Ortega Montenegro and Antelmo Castañeda Silva--accused by the mutineers of severe acts of corruption--have been suspended, as well as 16 persons thought to be ringleaders of the revolt.

Federal Government Report to Mexico City Last Saturday: Violence is Down

Rosas was challenged by reporters about a report presented to federal police officials last Saturday in Mexico City to the effect that the violence in Juarez is in " marginal decline." The data used by the federal government, according to reporters, does not coincide with data provided by the state prosecutor's office, which is used by the news media to keep track of homicides, and which indicates that homicides are in fact on the rise compared to last year. Rosas suggested that last year there were spikes of up to 287 murders per month during the second half, compared to "249 murders in July of 2010. This is a decline that doesn't satisfy very much, but we are working on it." Reporters, however, pointed out that the state prosecutor's office shows July of 2010 with 291 homicides, a slight rise. Rosas also asserted that kidnappings and extortions in Juarez are down compared to last year.
From a note this morning in Diario

However, Felix A. Gonzalez, writing for Norte
this morning (click here) cites statistics from the state prosecutor's office showing that, while auto theft is down overall, car jackings, which is to say, theft with threat of violence, is up about 50% compared with last year.

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