Mexican police agents conduct a strike on October 22 against perceived corruption in Ciudad Juárez
On October 22, a group of fifty police agents in Ciudad Juárez reportedly conducted a strike to denounce the authorities of the State Security Commission (CES) for lack of adequate support and corruption. The measure comes amid a backdrop of attacks against police in different locations in Juárez which started on October 16 when groups assaulted local and state agents in three different occasions in the streets, albeit with no casualties. Then, on October 18, a local police commander was murdered in his home. On the evening of October 19, a group of individuals travelling in a van opened fire against the State Security Commission headquarters, wounding two local police agents in the process. The group of fifty police agents decided to carry the strike on October 22 after two more incidents took place on that same evening. Finally, on October 24, a joint task force involving 200 operatives from CES and the local security secretary conducted a raid and reportedly arrested 10 people for participation in the spate of attacks.
These events continue to underscore the worsening state of security in Mexico, with security forces frequently facing risks from criminal organizations. It is reported that the absence of higher authorities in the field and the lack of a strategy to address the new wave of attacks is prompting a sense of abandonment within the security personnel in Ciudad Juárez, despite periodical large-scale interventions such as the one carried out on October 24. According to reports, security agents are beginning to demand the dismissal and replacement of authorities due to negligence or outright corruption and complicity with organized crime. Meanwhile, recent months have witnessed an escalation in attacks against security personnel in areas such as Cancun, which have traditionally been spared from violence, suggesting the country is entering into a new phase regarding violent trends related to organized crime.