| | |  Editorials | Opinions | September 2009 
Anonymous Heroes
 Maria del Carmen Segura - The News
go to original
Last week's deadly shooting in Mexico City's Balderas Metro station raises many questions and brings to light a gap in security in the rapid transit system that moves more than 5 million people each day through its 175 stations. Why does it take something like this, when two people were killed and eight others were injured, for authorities to begin random security checks on riders?
Mayor Marcelo Ebrard himself said that they are done at such metros in London, Madrid and Tokyo. Why, only now, do police officers have metal detectors, some of which can't be used because officials complain they haven't received the batteries yet?
In 2007, 72 percent of crimes in the Metro were committed in train cars or on platforms. Three lines - 1 (Pantitlán to Observatorio), 2 (Cuatro Caminos to Taxqueña) and 3 (Universidad to Indios Verdes) account for 60 percent of the crimes in the 11-line system.
Most crimes committed include robbery with and without violence, sexual assault and health and administrative violations: pulling the emergency lever, running onto the tracks or carrying sharp objects and drugs, among others.
On average, nine crimes are registered each week. More than half of the crimes are committed between noon and 8 p.m., and 20 percent of incidents happen on Friday. Hidalgo, Pantitlán, Pino Suárez, Balderas and Salto del Agua are the stations where the most crimes are recorded. Nine of the 11 most crime-prone stations are in the city's downtown.
People like Esteban Cervantes, the passenger who risked his life to protect potentially hundreds of people, deserve credit. Heroes like this, however, don't have professional training to fight criminals.
opefully, the capital's Secretariat of Public Security recognizes these brave men and doesn't use the 1,600 additional police as something just to calm the public's outrage, but a tool to prevent further tragedies. |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us