Veracruz, Mexico’s Entire Police Force Disbanded in Anti-Corruption Efforts
National Post, December 21, 2011
The troubled port of Veracruz, Mexico, lost its entire police force Wednesday as authorities disbanded it in an effort to eliminate corruption and to end drug-related violence.
The Mexican Navy will take over law enforcement for Veracruz-Boca del Rio.
The 900 laid-off police officers can re-apply for their jobs, according to reports, but they must meet higher standards and commit to additional training.
Veracruz made headlines earlier this year when the bodies of 35 people with suspected links to organized crime were found in two abandoned trucks on a highway underpass in the eastern Mexican city.
The bodies were discovered near a shopping centre in Boca del Rio, adjacent to Veracruz. Some of them had their hands tied and showed signs of torture, according to reports.
About 42,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon launched a campaign against drug cartels at the beginning of his term in late 2006. Most of that violence has been focused on the northern border with the United States.
