The governor of neighboring Sonora is hoping military reinforcements can help control criminal violence in the state.

Over the weekend, Gov. Alfonso Durazo thanked Mexico’s president for sending 800 soldiers to Sonora, which he hopes to use to improve the security situation. The state has seen some spectacular violent incidents in recent weeks, like a running gun battle in Sonora’s northwest that claimed a number of lives — including a child’s — and the burning of several stores in a pair of coastal cities. But some are skeptical of how much more soldiers will do.

“There being more Armed Forces honestly doesn’t guarantee more security,” said Krimilda Bernal, director of the Observatorio Sonora por la Seguridad, a civil society group that focuses on security issues.

She noted that the rising role of the military in state security policy has corresponded with record-breaking violence in Sonora and regular chaos in a number of its cities.