“The widows and orphans of the fallen policemen, we live a very sad situation. The vast majority are killed in the line of duty, on top of a patrol, serving society. We suffer a penance for life because we have to fight for a pension that by law corresponds to us and the government he refuses to grant it to the family of the policemen, the widow and her orphans… The bureaucratic procedure to receive the pension, when it is given, can last up to three years. How do you bury a fallen cop? Of alms ”.
The heartbreaking testimony of Andrea Felix, representative of the Association of Fallen Police of Sinaloa, is the common denominator of relatives of cops who die every day in the country. Those crimes go unpunished and nobody is moved. In Mexico, as in any country in the world, the police represent, to a large extent, the quality of State, and the quality of the link between authorities and communities. They should therefore be a national priority. On the other hand, in our country, the police officers are normally a source of derision due to government indifference that goes to the extreme of haggling or denying them the compensation and benefits that correspond to them.
Have we ever wondered who are the men and women in uniform on board a patrol? Why did they decide to be policemen? How many hours do they work a day? How much do they earn? How many crimes have they witnessed? If they have been about to lose their lives fulfilling their duty? If they have lost companions? I do not think I am wrong when I say that very rarely any of these questions will occur to anyone.
Causa en Común has sought those answers through diverse studies And the answers are terrible, not only do they have to work in deplorable conditions, but they also face five times the risk of being killed than an ordinary citizen. In 2020, at least 524 police officers were murdered (a daily average of 1.4), and the first thing that stands out is that it has to be an organization of the civil society, with the support of journalists from various states of the country, those of us who take the count. There are no official figures, no one in any government is even responsible for counting their deaths.
We have also carried out a count of police officers killed by Covid. At least 702 have died, many of them working with little or no protection. In fact, Causa en Común had to organize, last year, a collection to donate face masks and antibacterial gel, which obviously had to be provided by the federal or local government.
One less cop means one more rift in the already flimsy security structure in this country. Let us remember, however, the irresponsible way in which, from the beginning of this government, all citizens were stigmatized. federal police, with the falsehood that they were all corrupt and inept. It would only be the preamble to the destruction of the entire corporation. And now they undertake it against the local police, cutting or eliminating essential funds, no longer for their development, but for their survival. The absurdity is clear: the police are abandoned and power is concentrated in the Armed forces.
No strategy public security it can be viable if the institutional needs of its police officers are not recognized, which in our country are obvious: better salaries and benefits, adequate training, and equipment and infrastructure in accordance with their responsibilities. Can a policeman really be required to risk his life without minimum guarantees and rights?
Today, if you read these lines, remember that a police officer was probably killed, that his family will surely have a very difficult time moving forward and that beyond their close circle, few, very few will notice the tragedy. And then he will realize that behind that misfortune comes another one, that of our indifference.
(Pilar Déziga collaborated)
President of Common Cause.
@MaElenaMorera
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