Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, but the accumulation of signals can help to foresee when something may happen. In this way, if the sky is cloudy, it is quite possible that it will rain, even though the weather cannot be predicted exactly. When we talk about security issues it is possible to do the same. The accumulation of signals in Aguascalientes is alarming. In recent times, various notes that reveal very worrying situations have been published. Even a few days ago, we found out about the abduction of a person at the Bar “La Tejuinera”, who latter appeared in a video claiming to work for the Jalisco Cartel, accusing the Secretary of Government of giving them protection. Later, this person was found death.

In other media, we learned of a video that was shared through social media where the Jalisco Cartel blames the Aguascalientes’ ministerial police for protecting the Sinaloa Cartel. In his response, the Prosecutor dismissed these accusations as not very credible, despite the fact that the authorities have been continuously accused of being involved in abductions, extorsions and homicides. During this weekend we even learned of a theft of 10 million pesos in Los Fresnos residential area.

And it is not just the notes. According to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) data, when comparing the period from January to August of the present year, with the same period of the previous year, the numbers reveal an increase in the victims of homicides of 8.4%, while abductions increased by 100%. In addition, drug dealing crimes increased 12% and, during the mentioned period, there were 1,299 business robs reported, despite the fact that most of them had to close due to the social distancing measures.

Crime has increased alarmingly and there seems to be very little attention from the authorities. In fact, it seems that their priorities are elsewhere, because an investment of 200 million pesos was announced for the lienzo charro remodeling, when these resources could be used in other areas, such as strengthening the police force, which could translate into more investigations, more training, higher salaries, better equipment, and weapons for security elements. This was mentioned by the Mayor of Jesús María, who underlined that municipal police officers do not have the capacity to deal with the organized crime.

It is very unfortunate that the citizens of Aguascalientes have to face the crisis on 3 fronts: health, economic, and now security. Families from Aguascalientes also suffer from the loss of their loved ones due to armed attacks, relatives who are kidnapped, and an economic crisis aggravated by the robberies of small and medium-sized business that were just beginning to recover. Until recently, Aguascalientes was one of the safest places to live. It is important to give a quick solution to the problem, because crime does not rest and, if it is not addressed, the situation can get worse.

* Arturo Ávila Anaya, IBN/B Analitycs President and National Security Expert by Harvard (NIS).
@ArturoAvila_mx

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