The absence of progress in police development and the lack of transparency in accountability reveal a systemic neglect of police corporations: Causa en Común
Mexico City, June 28, 2023 – The development of policing in Mexico has undergone a comprehensive investigation that unveils significant deficiencies at a national level. The findings of the study, known as the Police Transparency Index (INTRAPOL), conducted by Causa en Común, were presented nationwide with the participation of Iovan Elías Pérez, Secretary of Citizen Security of Querétaro, Mónica Maltis, Director of Data Cívica organization, and Armando Vargas, Senior Public Security Consultant at Integralia Consultores.
The study emphasized the lack of certification, professionalization, and training within police forces as the primary challenges. Additionally, it exposed how the prioritization of militarization through the National Guard has allocated more responsibilities and resources to the Armed Forces, thereby diminishing the capacities of police agencies. The study, which was conducted using information obtained from 229 Access to Information Inquiries and data collected from open sources, highlighted the national trend towards opacity in the realm of security. According to the national results obtained from INTRAPOL:
- No entity fulfills the minimum standards established by the General Law of the National Public Security System (LGSNSP).
- The certification axis received the lowest evaluation, followed by social security, police career, disciplinary regime, and professionalization.
- The states with the lowest compliance at a national level were Yucatán (-69), Chihuahua (-58), Sinaloa (-57), Zacatecas (-52), Nuevo León (-52), and Durango (-52), while Mexico City (-17) and Querétaro (-18) came closest to meeting the standards.
- 70% of police agencies do not conduct performance evaluations in line with the objectives mandated by law, and 60% of agencies do not dismiss personnel who fail trust control evaluations. Furthermore, only twelve entities have fully equipped academies. Seventeen agencies lack specific codes of ethics and conduct for the police sphere, with only half of them providing evidence of initiatives aimed at promoting police ethics and the activities of Internal Affairs Units. Additionally, 28 agencies apply precautionary measures to personnel involved in disciplinary processes, even without a determination of the case.
Secretary Iovan Elías Pérez highlighted the importance of implementing internal actions within police agencies that support their personnel and foster a relationship of institutional trust. He also noted that studies like INTRAPOL serve as a guide for agencies in implementing improvements.
Furthermore, the study serves as a mechanism for governmental transparency, and in a context where trust in institutions is crucial for strengthening the rule of law, it is imperative to promote transparency and openness in governmental management, particularly in areas such as public security, as stated by Mónica Meltis, Executive Director of Data Cívica.
INTRAPOL, as a tool for evaluating public policies, considers specific contexts within each agency, and therefore, its recommendations should be regarded as the necessary framework for advancing the construction of a citizen security system, according to Armando Vargas Hernández, a specialist in citizen security.
In response to the study’s results, Maria Elena Morera, President of Causa en Común, underscored the importance of designing and implementing efficient instruments for the promotions system, promoting job stability, and reducing personnel turnover. It is essential to establish norms and procedures to regulate the behavior of police officers, ensure continuous training for personnel, improve certification processes to foster community trust, establish clear processes for the training, promotion, professionalization, and development of police officers, and provide the necessary resources for police officers to carry out their duties.
