| Mexico: Integrity Scorecard Report > Sub-Category: Law Enforcement | ||
| Indicators | Score | |
| 80 | Is the law enforcement agency (i.e. the police) effective? | 42 |
| 81 | Can law enforcement officials be held accountable for their actions? | 50 |
Indicator and sub-Indicator Details
| 80 | Is the law enforcement agency (i.e. the police) effective? | |||||||
| 80a: In practice, appointments to the law enforcement agency (or agencies) are made according to professional criteria. | ||||||||
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Comments: Practice does not live up to these codes. Cronyism and nepotism is more of a problem than political affiliations. The civil service code has only recently been made operational. References: Reglamento del Servicio de Carrera de Procuración de Justicia Federal, Ley Orgánica de la Procuraduría General de la República [ LINK ] www.ordenjuridico.gob.mx/Federal/PE/PGR/Reglamentos/25012005.pdf
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| 80b: In practice, the law enforcement agency (or agencies) has a budget sufficient to carry out its mandate. | ||||||||
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Comments: References: US State Department: [ LINK ]
Peer Review Comments: In general, law enforcement officials are underpaid, unprepared and poorly equipped, a fact often blamed for their failure in preventing and punishing crimes committed by drug traffickers.
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| 80c: In practice, the law enforcement agency is protected from political interference. | ||||||||
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Comments: The Attorney General is a presidential cabinet appointment (although it has to be ratified by the Senate). The political management of the PGR was infamous under Macedo de la Concha with Fox. The famous "desafuero" case is just one of many examples. Refiriéndose a la deignación de Medina Mora en la PGR, El universal publicó que "Se requería un jurista, un abogado prestigioso no un panista vinculado a Vicente Fox y con ligas con El Yunque, opina el analista Jorge Zepeda Patterson". References: [ LINK ]
Peer Review Comments: This is a typical example. Last August, Aguascalientes State Prosecutor Xavier González was forced to step down, after four municipal cops were shot dead in two separate drug-related attacks. Four months earlier, four other municipal cops were gunned down. Investigators suspected state police corruption led to the killings, but a successful prosecution of the perpetrators is still pending. State Governor Luis Armando Reynoso Femat was quick to name new state prosecutor and head of the municipal police force.
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| 81 | Can law enforcement officials be held accountable for their actions? | |||||||
| 81a: In law, there is an independent mechanism for citizens to complain about police action. | ||||||||
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Comments: The federal Secretaría de la Función Publica (SFP) covers all government corruption, including police corruption. But there is no special entity for police corruption, and the SFP does not have enough muscle to actually investigate and intervene in police affairs. References: Ley Orgánica de la Administración Pública Federal (article 37)
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| 81b: In practice, the independent law enforcement complaint reporting mechanism responds to citizen's complaints within a reasonable time period. | ||||||||
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Comments: There is no independent complaint mechanism, and there are systematic problems with dealing with accusations of police corruption. References: See 81a
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| 81c: In law, there is an agency/entity to investigate and prosecute corruption committed by law enforcement officials. | ||||||||
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Comments: References: There is no special agency. There is a "Suprocuraduría de Protección a los Derechos Humanos y Prevención del Delito" within the PGR, but this does not have any statutory independence. The PGR is both "juez y parte."
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| 81d: In practice, when necessary, the agency/entity independently initiates investigations into allegations of corruption by law enforcement officials. | ||||||||
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Comments: References: [ LINK ]
Peer Review Comments: As a sidebar, many kickback cases remain untouched. For instance, numerous complaints of police bribery routinely fall on deaf ears. Earlier this year, there were reports of transit cops demanding money from motorists who broke the newly beefed-up transit rules. Another case involves a police officer in the city of Aguascalientes who took part this month in a break-in while off duty. As a personal note, while walking on Eje Vial Lazaro Cardenas, a street in downtown Mexico City, last March, I noticed police officers purchasing - instead of seizing - pirated DVDs and CDs. (The sale of bootleg music and movies is a growing problem in Mexico where counterfeit goods account for 20 percent of the gross domestic product). As we've seen, corruption also manifests itself at higher levels.
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| 81e: In law, law enforcement officials are not immune from criminal proceedings. | ||||||||
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Comments: There is no immunity. Artículo 13. Nadie puede ser juzgado por leyes privativas ni por tribunales especiales. Ninguna persona o corporación puede tener fuero, ni gozar más emolumentos que los que sean compensación de servicios públicos y estén fijados por la ley. Subsiste el fuero de guerra para los delitos y faltas contra la disciplina militar; pero los tribunales militares en ningún caso y por ningún motivo podrán extender sujurisdicción sobre personas que no pertenezcan al Ejército. Cuando en un delito o falta del orden militar estuviese complicado un paisano, conocerá del caso la autoridad civil que corresponda. References: Constitutional article 13
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| 81f: In practice, law enforcement officials are not immune from criminal proceedings. | ||||||||
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Comments: Diversos organismos se refieren constantemente a la impunidad policiaca que prevalece en México, aunque la ley no permita fuero de ninguna clase a los pilcías, en los hechos en ocasiones es difícil castigarles por las faltas que cometen o siquiera iniciarles investigaciones. Casos como Atenco y Oaxaca son ejemplos de excesos policiacos que en lo general han permanecido impunes. References: [ LINK ] [ LINK ] [ LINK ] [ LINK ]
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