The perception of public insecurity increased in Mexico during the last quarter of 2024, going from 58.6 to 61.7 percent of people who consider their town to be unsafe, according to the National Public Security Survey (ENSU).
The survey, prepared by the Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), indicates increases in the perception of insecurity in cities such as Villahermosa, Tabasco; Culiacán, Sinaloa; and Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, towns that in recent months have suffered a wave of violence.
“The urban areas of interest with the highest percentage of people aged 18 and over who considered living in their city to be unsafe were: Villahermosa, with 95.3; Uruapan, with 92.5; Fresnillo, with 90.9; Culiacán Rosales, with 90.6; Tuxtla Gutiérrez, with 90.6, and Tapachula, with 90.1,” says Inegi.
“In contrast, the urban areas with the lowest percentages of perceived insecurity were: San Pedro Garza García, with 14.0; Piedras Negras, with 18.7; Benito Juárez, with 20.7; Saltillo, with 23.0; Los Mochis, with 24.6, and Los Cabos, with 25.1,” the survey adds.
Villahermosa had not appeared in the top 5 for perceived insecurity since 2019. The capital of Tabasco has been the scene of acts of violence since October of last year, one of the latest being the burning of cars and a business on Tuesday, January 21.
Tabasco’s Secretary of Government, José Ramiro López Obrador, assured that the fires and other acts of violence are reactions of organized crime after the arrest of a high-ranking member of the criminal organization La Barredora, which operates in the area.
The accumulated figures of the Digital Statistical Record, issued by the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), indicate that drug dealing, intentional homicide and kidnapping crimes had an increase during the past year.
Thus, the crime that registered the most notable increase was drug dealing, which went from 23 cases to 243 between 2023 and 2024, while intentional homicides grew 194.3 percent.
In Culiacán, the percentage of people who feel unsafe skyrocketed in the last quarter of last year. While in September 55.7 percent of the inhabitants over 18 years of age in the capital of Sinaloa feared for their safety, by December the percentage increased to 90.6 percent.
The situation of insecurity in Culiacán has grown since September 9 of last year, after the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael El Mayo Zambada, denounced through a letter that he was betrayed by Los Chapitos to be handed over against his will to the United States authorities.
The minors and their father were killed for preventing an alleged attempt to steal their vehicle in Culiacán, Sinaloa. After their death, hundreds of people marched to demand justice
From that moment on, Culiacán became a zone of dispute between the two most important factions of the Pacific Cartel: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza, which led to multiple homicides and attempts at violence that led society to close businesses and avoid the streets as much as possible.
To stop the wave of violence, President Claudia Sheinbaum ordered the federal Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, to move to Sinaloa.
In Tuxtla Gutiérrez, capital of Chiapas, citizens also expressed the insecurity they perceive in their town, given that according to ENSU, 90.6 percent consider that their integrity is not safe.
In this territory, it has been documented that organized crime carries out blockades, assaults, kidnappings, protectionist fees, forced recruitment and shootings. In one of the most relevant cases, on October 20, the murder of the priest of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Marcelo Pérez, was recorded.
In this area, according to the government’s criminal map, the Sinaloa Cartel operates, although there is also a presence of the CJNG. This entity is one of the priorities of the new government, particularly in addressing the security of 12 municipalities, where intentional homicides are concentrated. One of them is Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
In August of last year, the Guatemalan government detected that 200 people originally from Chiapas crossed into their country fleeing organized crime.
The other cities that are identified as unsafe by their inhabitants are Uruapan, Michoacán, and Fresnillo, Zacatecas.
In the case of the city of Zacatecas, it remained in first place in terms of perceived insecurity for most of last year, while in Uruapan, businesses were burned, roadblocks were blocked, vehicles were stolen and homicides were reported throughout last year.
Source: oem
