A new statistic shows that kidnappings spiked dramatically in January compared to December and that more than half the cases were in the state of Veracruz.

Isabel Miranda de Wallace, president of the civil organization Alto al Secuestro (Stop Kidnapping), revealed yesterday that kidnappings were up 49% nationwide for a total of 190 incidents with 229 victims.

She said 52 of the cases were in Veracruz and urged the governor to take immediate action.

“This is a national emergency, people are desperate. For that reason, we resolutely call upon Governor Cuitláhuac García to fulfill his promise to restore security to Veracruz.”

Other troubled states included México with 26 cases reported in January and Mexico City with 23.Veracruz, Morelos and Tamaulipas led in per-capita terms.

Six states were kidnapping-free during the month.

Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Coahuila, Nayarit and Sinaloa were the only states that did not report any kidnappings, though it is not clear how many go unreported.

“The increase in the number of reported kidnapping cases is alarming. Even if the number has been inflated, it is still an alarming number,” said Miranda.

On the positive side, she noted that another statistic that increased in January was the number of suspects detained for kidnapping — 172, up from 135 in December.

Miranda said Mexico’s national action plan against kidnapping expired on December 31, and urged the federal government to prioritize the creation of a new strategy.

The National Security System is expected to publish its official statistics in the coming days.

Source: El Financiero (sp)