Murders in Mexico fell 4.6 % annually in the first quarter of 2021

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Mexico’s government reported Wednesday that intentional homicides fell by 4.6 % in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2020, going from 8,811 cases to 8,399.

In March 2021, 2,944 murders were recorded, 3.4 % lower than the 3,043 in March 2020, which was the month with the most homicides of the Andrés Manuel López Obrador Administration, started in 2018.

“In the first quarter of 2021, there were 4.6% fewer  intentional homicides compared to the same period of the previous year, and although this crime has been contained, for months now intentional homicide has been concentrated in some entities (states),” said the Secretary of Security, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, at a press conference.

She explained that 50.7% of these crimes take place in the states of Guanajuato (926), Baja California (806), Jalisco (668), State of Mexico (655), Michoacán (621), and Chihuahua (586).

She also detailed that the Government has detected 15 “priority municipalities” where homicides are prevalent, headed by Tijuana (428), Ciudad Juarez (287), and Leon (159).

“In the first three months of the year, we also managed to contain the incidence of femicide, a crime that fell by 2.4% compared to the first quarter of the previous year,” she said.

In the first quarter of 2020, there were 245 femicides – gender-related murders – while between January and March 2021, there were 239.

On this occasion, the official did not offer monthly data on femicides in Mexico, a country where it is estimated that more than 10 women are murdered every day.

“In terms of kidnapping, we have good accounts. The incidence remains at the lowest in recent years. In the first quarter, we achieved a reduction of 36.8% compared to 2020,” said Rodriguez.

The secretary reminded state and municipal authorities that security is “a shared responsibility” and that “peacebuilding involves everyone.” “We will continue with the strategy of strengthening the operational capabilities of the security forces to boost coordination and intelligence work,” she said.

Mexico had 34,552 victims in 2020, almost another consecutive record of violence after concluding 2019 as the most violent year in its contemporary history, with 34,681 murder victims.

For more than a decade, Mexico has been going through a wave of violence, starring clashes between drug cartels and authorities.