I read an article saying 71% of Mexicans do not trust their local cops, mostly because many of the cops are criminals themselves down there.
I get the impression this isn’t just from the drug war, it also goes into the local cops robbing and kidnapping people.
Do people who live in or are from the nation have any opinions on the subject?
Does it matter which part of the country you are in?
Does it matter what kind of law enforcement you are talking about (federal, state, city)? Do people there tend to think the federal cops are more trustworthy than the local cops, or are they all generally distrusted?
What about the military, are the attitudes about the military the same (distrust and fear)?
Do people there see any realistic way to change things for the better and create a transparent and accountable law enforcement system?
I used to travel to Mexico on business. My Mexican colleagues all feared and distrusted the police-they were said to be corrupt, and violent. Sad, but when your police force is distrusted, things are usually bad.
I spent quite a bit of time in Mexico back in the '90s, and can tell you that Mexicans distrusted the police loooong before the drug war. In fact I’m surprised the number cited in the article is only 71 percent.
It is an attitude that goes back to Colonial times. The Spanish government was run by wealthy aristocrats, who were supposed to be more interested in honor than in money. So government employees have always been underpaid. So the non-aristocrats have tended to supplement their income with la mordida (bribery). Also, nepotism has been widespread: you win an election (or a coup) and you give the government jobs to your friends and relatives. And soon, your party is just as corrupt as the party you defeated.