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In a recent appearance, the governor of Quintana Roo Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez announced that his administration has asked the federal government for help to increase the military security presence in and around Cancun. This time around the governor did not reveal exactly how many military units would be deployed to the city. This news comes a few days after high ranking officials from all government security branches held an emergency meeting to come up with plans to increase security around Cancun.
At the start of the week the head of public security in Cancun stated publically that military checkpoints would be set up along the cities main roads. Also, important tourist hot spots would receive an extra layer of protection. Things seem to be coming full circle as governor Gonzalez admits that more national guard elements will be deployed to the city to help implement that security strategy.
The Governor Downplayed The Situation Saying Tourists Were Not Targeted
In this recent appearance, Governor Gonzalez also downplayed the severity of the recent incidents in Cancun. He mentioned that all of these issues have received extensive media coverage but by his estimations, only a tiny fraction of the 14 million tourists that have arrived in the region have been directly affected by the incidents that have taken place . He would go on to say that tourists and locals alike can expect to see more national security personnel patrolling the streets in the coming days. Specifically Governor Gonzalez mentioned,
“Since last week we have been adding reinforcements with more federal personnel to improve the security situation. As these reinforcements begin to act we’re going to see a response similar to the one that we are already witnessing.”
In the last part of the speech Gonzalez seemed to be referencing the military checkpoints that are set up along various Cancun main avenues. As well as the added presence of police and national guard elements near popular tourist spots.
Local Authorities Set To Be Taking More Of An Offensive Stance
In recent days other members of the local and state governments have also mentioned that aside from patrolling important tourist spots national guard members were going to be patrolling residential areas in Cancun that had been tagged as potential crime hot beds.
This is being done in an effort to set up a strategy that would be in a sense less reactive than what has been applied to this point. Without a doubt the main concern for both local and federal authorities is to ensure that tourists feel safe in the city’s main attractions. That shouldn’t necessarily mean letting crime run loose in other parts of the city.
Many of the most recent security breaches, so to speak, that have taken place in Cancun have happened in and around the downtown area. For a while now local business owners in the downtown region have asked for an increased presence of security personnel in that part of town. As more troops make their way to Cancun it’s highly likely that many of these business owners will see their pleas answered. It still remains to be seen though if these added security measures will have an immediate effect in reducing crime related activity in the city.
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