¿The insecurity in Mexico controls our lives?

By Thaney Betsabe Álamo Moreno - March 31th, 2014.

Teacher : Laura Lima Manzo - Group: 2AM4

* The National Survey of Urban Public Safety (ENSU for its spanish acronym) is a project that makes quarterly surveys that

include concepts relevant to the issue of public safety to provide users with a broader measure of the subject in Mexico. The ENSU is

representative for the set of 32 cities or urban areas with high density country, by state, with respect to the perception and

expectations of the population 18 years and over on public safety.

According to the ENSU*, in last December 2013, in terms of crime, 68 % of the population 18

years and over considered to live in their town is unsafe, while the remaining 32 % believe it is safe. Also according to ENSU, the feeling of insecurity and fear of crime by the expectations of the population for public security are generated by various elements such as attestation of criminal and antisocial behavior occurring in the environment for the population. Well as fear of crime has an impact on the routines of the population and generates the perception on the performance of the police.

And just think, ¿who hasn't felt that someone comes behind us and starts walking fast?. The

truth is that we are used to avoid areas without light or get on the bus only if it is not completely empty, to put our bag where is possible to take care of it, even take an extra mobile phone "just in case we are victims of an assault" or to the extent of traveling uncomfortable for keeping our money in places surely we don't want to remind. The same study revealed that 63.6 % of the population said that for fear of a crime they changed their habits regarding carrying valuables such as jewelry, money and credit cards, while 49.3 % changed routines by not walking around their home after eight in the night, 46.6 % said they changed their habits regarding allowing leave their children out of home, and 32.8 % change habits on visiting relatives or friends.

It is so bad that we can't buy that car of our dreams, the one that we've worked for, or that we

can't listen to music without hiding our headphones as much as possible just because if we don't do that it would evidence that we have a smart phone that actually costed us so much work to get. ¿Isn't it?. It's as ugly as we can’t walk down the street with our children or younger sibling, for fear that someone will steal them. And if we are students have that daily fear of losing our notes just because someone came not only to steal our money, also our complete bagpack. And someone please tell me ¿what time we hear a shot near our house, that not interrupts the activity we are doing?, or when as a citizen we think we can take justice in our hands and kill the attackers on public transport, is supposed that is a cops job, not to kill but to prevent us from happening such mishaps, but of course, even if the police did a good job, we wouldn't have to forget that education comes from home. I guess the problem also lies in the malfunction of the Mexican government and how Mexico is not really a poor country but money is not equally distributed, leading to inequalities and well... it ends in us being assaulted.

For an idea of what we expect as a society, it's suffice to say that the same study reveals that

18.9 % of the population felt that in the next 12 months the state of crime in their city would be just as

"well" as is now and 18.5 % think the situation will improve, while 35.9 % feel that it will be just as bad

and 26.1 % it will be worse. I guess that 18.9 % is the wealthy part of society or ones that believes it is

possible to cover the sun with one finger. And while the current situation changes, keep buying an extra

phone to the thief , travel in the car that you don't like but ¡hey, at least it is not flashy! . Due to as a

society if we don't require changes , and still doing nothing to change the situation just because we

think it won't make any difference... then: don't leave home after eight at night is the only option left.