The attorney general of Quintana Roo resigned yesterday a day after the state’s secretary of public security also quit his post.
The resignation of the former, Miguel Ángel Pech, had been expected since his last appearance in state Congress when he said the Attorney General’s office (FGE) was incapable of confronting organized crime and investigating homicides.
Violent crime has plagued parts of Quintana Roo in recent years, especially the state’s largest tourism destination, Cancún.
The newspaper Reforma revealed in August that in a private meeting with state lawmakers, Pech said the FGE lacked qualified police, specialized equipment and resources to tackle crime in the state.
“Every prosecutor has to attend to up to 800 cases. We have 60 positions available for state police but there are no trained personnel to occupy the positions,” Pech said, according to sources who spoke to Reforma.
Even if those positions were filled, the state still wouldn’t have enough police, he reportedly added. “It’s a complex situation.”
Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquín González has named Gustavo Salas Salgado as interim attorney general until a permanent replacement is found.
It’s been a busy week for Joaquín, who confirmed Wednesday that public security secretary Rodolfo del Ángel Campos had resigned.
In his place, the governor appointed Alberto Capella Ibarra, a former police chief of Tijuana and until September 14, security commissioner in the state of Morelos.
Joaquín praised the work of del Ángel, stating that after receiving a “dismantled and demoralized police force” from former governor Roberto Borge, he is leaving his successor a “trustworthy” force with better-paid and better-equipped officers.
Capella, nicknamed “el rambo tijuanense” (Rambo from Tijuana) has been a controversial figure, with critics questioning the security strategies he has adopted and pointing out that when he was in charge of security in Tijuana, homicide rates went up.
