The mayor of Acapulco has announced that she will seek to replicate the security model in place in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, where crime has fallen significantly over the past year.

At a meeting with business owners, academics and community representatives, Adela Román Ocampo called for “assistance” from all sectors of society to restore peace to the Guerrero port city, which has been plagued by violent crime in recent years.

“. . . I’m asking for the support of hotel and business owners to paint the facades of their businesses and install surveillance cameras that are connected to the C4 [security control center] to improve security in the port, just like they did in Los Cabos,” she said.

The Morena party mayor’s request for help followed a Mexico City meeting Tuesday with federal tourism and security officials as well as her counterparts from Los Cabos and Playa del Carmen, at which they discussed how security strategies and alliances could be strengthened.

Back home yesterday, Román lamented the deterioration of security in Acapulco, which was once Mexico’s most glamorous tourism destination but described by the Washington Post in 2017 as Mexico’s murder capital.

“It’s very sad to know that at a national level, they consider this beach destination a lost cause,” the mayor said. “I’m not Wonder Woman but I am a well-born acapulqueña who wants to rescue Acapulco’s negative image.”

Román attributed the violence in the port city to the arrest of some criminal leaders and the release from prison of other lawbreakers but stressed that the new municipal government, which took office in October, was not taken by surprise.

However, she added that 153 municipal police officers have not shown up for work this year so the government is taking steps to formally terminate their employment.

In September, federal and state police and the military took over policing duties in Acapulco for a short period after the entire municipal force was disarmed due to suspected infiltration by criminal gangs.

Román said that under her government there will be “zero tolerance” on crime and warned that bars, nightclubs and restaurants would no longer be permitted to violate the operating hours established by authorities.

Source: El Financiero (sp)