State receives record funds for elite police force

Jalisco is to receive an unprecedented 837 million pesos in federal funds to invest in security and overhaul its police force.

This represents a 30-percent increase on last year, when the state obtained 642 million pesos. The resources will be made available through four federal funds, on the condition that the Jalisco government professionalizes the police, purging the force of corrupt or unfit officers.

To continue serving, all officers must undergo tests to prove they are trustworthy; those without a valid Unique Police Certificate by January 2013 will be stripped of their badge.

Jalisco is now the third biggest recipient of federal funds for security and law enforcement, after the State of Mexico and the Federal District. This year’s funds include 91.8 million pesos for creating an elite police force, three times the 30 million pesos devoted to the formation of the Policia Estatal Acrecitable (PEA) last year.

PEA officers will be trained to gather and interpret intelligence to fight crime, plan tactics and respond immediately to critical emergency situations.