Federal government agrees to strengthen local police forces

The National Public Security Council approved two national agreements to strengthen public security institutions and achieve results in the search for missing persons. The federal government therefore asked the country's governors to harmonize their laws, strengthen state police forces , and increase professionalization by December 2029.

"The agreements being made today are about implementing this strategy in each state. It's not much more than that. That is, in each state there will be attention to cases, intelligence and investigation, strengthening of state police forces, where appropriate, and coordination with the federal government, with state prosecutors' offices, with the courts. Now, with the new Judiciary, coordination will be better," President Claudia Sheinbaum explained to all the country's governors.

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During the 51st regular session of the Council, Marcela Figueroa , head of the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), outlined the actions and deadlines that governors must follow to strengthen security throughout the country.

He therefore asked state leaders to present the corresponding reform initiatives to their local congresses to harmonize their local laws with the General Law of the National Public Security System and the decree reforming the General Law on Disappearances , and to inform the National System.

He explained that these laws on disappearances should pay particular attention to harmonizing the criminal offenses of enforced disappearance and disappearance committed by individuals, as well as defining clear procedures for issuing special declarations of absence.

He also requested the implementation of procedures for activating the national search alert and immediately incorporating the corresponding information into the national database of investigation files in the event of any news, reports, or complaints about missing or missing persons.

For her part, Secretary of the Interior Rosa Icela Rodríguez asked governors to update their search laws, address the right to peaceful social protest, and address the rights of human rights defenders and journalists related to the right to freedom of expression and demonstration.

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In response, he asked the six states in the country that do not have specialized prosecutors' offices for disappearances to comply with this legal requirement.

Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch asserted that the future of security in Mexico depends largely on strengthening state and municipal police forces , as they are the first line of contact with citizens and directly confront security challenges.