HomeNewsBriefSpike in Mexico Kidnappings Indicates President's Security Failures
BRIEF

Spike in Mexico Kidnappings Indicates President's Security Failures

KIDNAPPING / 17 JUL 2014 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

An NGO in Mexico reported that kidnappings rose 56 percent in the first half of 2014 compared with the same period last year, illustrating the failure of President Enrique Peña Nieto's security policies to tackle this crime.

According to Alto al Secuestro (Stop the Kidnapping), 1,766 kidnappings took place between January and June this year, while 1,130 occurred during those months in 2013.

The organization also announced that 4,609 abductions had been reported since December 2012, when the present administration began, although in 517 of these cases no investigation was opened.

Of the kidnappings, 72 percent were concentrated in the Federal District and the states of Mexico (Edomex), Morelos, Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Michoacan, according to the organization.

InSight Crime Analysis

In their press release, Alto al Secuestro does not give the methodology used to arrive at the figure, which is more than double the 839 kidnappings reported by Mexico's National Public Security System (SNSP) for the period January through May of this year. This is an increase of 23 percent from kidnappings recorded by the SNSP in the first five months of 2013. These official statistics showed an increase in kidnappings of some 20 percent from 2012 to 2013.

The rise in kidnappings is bad news for the president, who from the beginning has made a decrease in violent crime -- including kidnapping, homicides and extortion -- a key security objective. While homicides have apparently declined, the failure to rein in kidnapping and extortion has been reflected in a steadily declining approval rating for Peña Nieto.

SEE ALSO: Mexico News and Profiles

The trend stands in sharp contrast to a steep overall decline in kidnappings in Colombia since 2002 and a consistent drop since 2012 -- the year the Colombian government entered into peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the guerrilla group agreed to stop kidnapping for extortion.

While in Colombia the declining role of illegal armed actors has been a key contributor to reducing the incidence of kidnappings, Mexico's increases have corresponded with a fragmenting criminal landscape, which has pushed organizations to diversify their revenue by turning to activities like kidnapping.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

EL MENCHO / 14 MAY 2021

In some regions of Mexico, family members who came up empty-handed this Mother's Day were bailed out by the Jalisco…

BRAZIL / 24 MAR 2022

The 2021 ranking of the world's most violent cities predictably features a heavy presence by Latin American and Caribbean population…

COLOMBIA / 26 OCT 2021

Two top police commanders in Colombia and Mexico have recently admitted to filtering sensitive information to drug traffickers while working…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…