CITIZEN OVERSIGHT OF THE POLICE IN
MEXICO CITY AND GUERRERO

Fundar carries out coordinated actions with specialized organisms of civil society to oversee in a more permanent manner police work in Mexico. Two of the most important programs in this field are the Civil Monitor of the Police in Guerrero’s Mountain and the evaluation of the accountability mechanisms of the Citizen Protection Units of the Ministry of Public Security of Mexico City.

In February, Fundar participated in the First Training Session for the organizations that created the Civil Monitor in Guerrero’s Mountain. Along with representatives of Tlachinollan and the Institute for Security and Democracy (Insyde), members of Fundar had interviews with the Sub-Law Attorney in Guerrero, one sub-secretary of Public Security, the state ombudsman and local congressmen. They also visited the police of the community of Metlatonoc and organized a strategic planning session in Tlapa.

From August 30th to September 1st, Fundar, along with its counterparties, organized a seminar in Chilpancingo about the so called “Monitor of Tlapa”, with the participation of national and international experts in independent monitoring of police. The goal was to review the foundational documents of this initiative, with the feedback of the experts and thus explore the possibilities for multiplying this experience in other states throughout Mexico. This seminar is the first one to be held in Mexico about the topic and it managed to gather in Guerrero an important group of security-decision makers, civil society organizations, technical experts and policemen. Even if the seminar was originally planned as a low public profile event (because of its reflection and analysis nature for those who work in the Monitor project), the changes have been important through the transmission of sensitivity to important state officials.

In Mexico City, Fundar applied an evaluation instrument to a sample of fifteen Citizen Protection Units of the police in order to evaluate their methods, policies and infrastructure, and detect directly the corporation’s problems. This effort, and after several meetings with operational and administrative directors of the Public Security Ministry of Mexico City, will disengage in a report that allows the evaluation of the efficiency levels, mechanisms for accountability and citizen participation, as well as the general infrastructure of this new scheme of preventive police that the local government has designed. This exercise allowed the identification of better methods and learned lessons, both of which Fundar’s team will take to different police corporations in municipalities and states in Mexico.

In the federal scenario, Fundar participated in the opinion group’s sessions that the Secretary of Public Security, Genaro Garcia Luna, summoned to present his strategies and receive suggestions and evaluations. These meetings have had an important influence in the design of strategies and federal policies.

Finally, the citizen security team made a presentation on accountability of Mexican police forces during the meeting which the Narrator of the Inter American Commission of Human Rights held with civil society organisms.

 

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