Homicides Down in Guanajuato, Up in SMA

“The month of May had a 24 percent reduction in the number of homicides in the entire state of Guanajuato, compared to February, a month with a high rate of homicides.  The decrease in the number of homicides is credited to the comprehensive State Government strategy, which includes arresting violent criminals and seizure of firearms.  In February 2019, 340 homicides were reported, while the month of March had 314. In April, a total of 291 homicides were reported, while as of 8 pm on May 31, 256 homicides had been reported, approximately 24 percent less than February.

Operation “Golpe de Timón” included the intervention of State and Federal forces in the town of Santa Rosa in Villagrán, Guanajuato, the capture of leaders of a criminal group  the seizure of arms, as well as properties and economic resources were achieved.  In joint work with the Ministry of the Navy, the Ministry of National Defense and the Public Security Secretariat of the State, important arrests have been made in other criminal groups operating in the state as part of the overall security strategy.” From the State Security Office’s press release. While there has been a decrease in homicides between February 2019 and May 2019, it is important to note that February 2019 was the most violent month in the history of Guanajuato, according to AM.

Though this downward trend can be seen in the early months of 2019 for the entire state, more than 250 homicides are occurring each month in the state, which has resulted in outside travel agencies issuing travel warnings and ranking Guanajuato at the top of the most dangerous states in Mexico. It is also worth noting the unusually high number of homicides the city of San Miguel has experienced. Sanmiguelenses have counted 52 homicides from January to May, a marked increase from prior years.

In fact, with counts at 17 homicides for the month of May, this makes May the most violent month of 2019 in San Miguel. It appears that while the State of Guanajuato is on a slow decrease of homicides, San Miguel has been increasing, on average.

According to AM, “In the eight months that the government of Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo has been in office, more than 2,300 people have been murdered in Guanajuato…In 98% of the cases a firearm was used to commit the crime. More than 90% of the victims were men, including some minors, and seven belonged to Public Security corporations. On average there are 9.5 victims per day, mainly by firearms.”

Press release from the State Security Offices translated to English by The San Miguel Herald with editorial content added by The San Miguel Herald

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