Mexican Defense Secretary: Sonoran Police Forces Too Diminished To Address Violence

By Murphy Woodhouse
Published: Wednesday, March 24, 2021 - 7:46am

A top Mexican security official says the size of the state police force in Sonora is too small to deal with rising violence.

Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval made those comments Tuesday during the president’s morning press conference.

“For such a big state, 741 elements is extremely small,” he said of the 741 active state police officers, adding that it can’t tend to the priority needs of Sonorans.

The federal security presence in Sonora has increased steadily in recent years, with National Guard elements rising from 1,200 in 2019 to nearly 2,700 this year, according to data he presented.

Murders have also risen over the same period, with the state setting a grisly new record of 1,584 victims last year. January and February also had the highest number of victims compared to previous years in the most recent federal data.

Fronteras Sonora