Adviser says Mexican Government reducing criminal violence

Óscar Naranjo, the former Colombian National Police chief now advising the Mexican Government on fighting crime, spoke on 21 May of a decline in murders related to organized crime in Mexico, apparently attributable to the actions of the government headed by Enrique Peña Nieto. General Naranjo was reported as saying in Bogotá that there was a 17-18 per cent drop in cartel-related murders since the Peña presidency began on 1 December 2012; he was apparently relying on figures given out by the Mexican interior ministry (Gobernación) and concluded that the Meixcan government was "beginning to respond in an effective manner to social-type phenomena," presumably meaning crime, La Jornada reported on 22 May. Naranjo said there were 4,249 homicides "presumably linked to organized crime" in the four months from 1 December 2012, 685 killings or 14 per cent less than the 4,934 killings of similar characteristics for the same period in 2011-12.

Mexican army said to have "restored order" in crime-ridden Michoacán

The daily Milenio reported on 22 May that five days sufficed for the army to impose a measure of peace and security to the violent state of Michoacán in western Mexico, where armed locals had in recent months faced off criminal gangs but also harrassed local authorities suspected to be collaborators with crime. The daily observed that in three districts, Buenavista Tomatlán, Tepalcatepec and Coalcomán, the army retored order without firing a shot, while no violence related to organized crime, "ordinary" murders, marches or protests were reported through 16-22 May. On 16 May the Mexican Government sent General Alberto Reyes Vaca to Michoacán where he was to be the state's Public Security Secretary, with extraordinary powers being drawn up to give him command of local and state police bodies as well as thousands of troops and federal policemen sent to Michoacán to stamp out crime. Certain mayors who had fled their districts as armed local stormed municipal buildings were considering returning to their offices. Locals were however cited as saying that while the self-defence groups would not interfere with army operations they would retain their arms, fearing the return of the cartels once soldiers leave. Mexico's interior minister, Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, said in the state capital Morelia on 21 May that federal troops would remain in Michoacán until there was peace in the state, and vowed there would be no "ceasefire or pact with organised crime," La Jornada reported. He was speaking after a meeting of the federal Security Cabinet attended by senior officials including the provisional Governor of Michoacán Jesús Reyna García, the Prosecutor-General of the Republic Jesús Murillo Karam and the Navy and Defence ministers. Osorio said the Government would build a new army base in southern Michoacán and invest money in social programmes and training for the state's police forces. La Jornada separately reported on 22 May that the Government had sent 2,500 soldiers to the state in preceding days; these were to undertake a range of security-related tasks.