Police in Guanajuato, Mexico’s most violent state in the first 10 months of the year, will be the best paid in the country starting in January.
Governor Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo announced on Wednesday that state police will receive salaries of 24,400 pesos (US $1,280), leaving officers with take-home pay of just over 20,000 pesos.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the state police academy, Sinhue said that raising the salaries of officers from their current net rate of 15,000 pesos will cost the government 450 million pesos (US $23.6 million) next year.
The pay rise will lift officers’ salaries above those of their counterparts in Sonora, who are currently the best paid in Mexico with monthly net wages of just over 19,000 pesos.
The benefits afforded to police in Guanajuato are already among the best in the country.
Officers have access to housing credits, pension funds and education scholarships for their children, while the families of police killed in the line of duty receive financial support from the government in addition to life insurance payouts.
Sinhue said the aim of the pay increase, which will also lift Guanajuato officers’ salaries above those received by members of the National Guard, is to prevent corruption in the state force and encourage greater commitment to the job.
He said Guanajuato officers will also be provided with the equipment they need to do their job effectively, highlighting that the state force will take possession of 40 new police cars and 420 body-worn cameras.
The state government invested about 200 million pesos in police equipment and training this year, the National Action Party governor said, and will lay off more government personnel in 2020 to increase spending on security.
There were 2,255 homicides in Guanajuato between January and October, according to the National Public Security System, 3% more than in Baja California, which was the second most violent state.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel are engaged in a turf war in the state, once considered among the safest in Mexico.
Source: El Financiero (sp)
