BACALAR, Q. Roo — According to SIPSE, tourism entrepreneurs here said they were tired of being victims of all the crime recently happening in the state. Thus, as their last resort, some of them are considering the possibility of defending themselves against it with weapons.
David Martínez Sánchez, president of the Bacalar Hotels and Restaurants Association, stated that in one week they registered three burglaries in three different accomodation centers. In some cases, the burglars broke in when the guests were asleep, which he considered to be the last straw as for the insecurity that Bacalar has gone through.
He mentioned that people have frequently requested more police surveillance. However, due to the lack of police elements in the region, such demand is hard to meet, which is why they created communication groups and installed video surveillance cameras in their establishments. Nonetheless, nothing seems to have stopped the criminals, so their last resort would be to defend themselves against crime with their own weapons.
Likewise, he questioned the judicial system, which unfortunately allows criminals to obtain their freedom in a matter of time, even after benig identified by the victims and accused by them. He pointed out that they have no alternative but to seek personal protection of their businesses, as despair has preyed on the union members to a state of defenselessness in which they currently find themselves in.
Javier Ramón Padilla Balam, deputy of Bacalar, acknowledged the degree of insecurity that prevails in the region and recognized the anguish the business sector – and the citizenship itself – has. Additionally, he mentioned that although this type of events are happening, everything has to be conducted within a legal framework. Afterwards, he encouraged businessmen to approach the state’s Attorney General to analyze the situation and seek effective and legal alternatives.
It should be noted that at the end of last year, the city of Bacalar lived a similar criminal wave that forced entrepeneurs to organize themselves and seek support from the municipal president, Alexander Zetina Aguiluz, who reluctantly assisted them. He promised to install roadblocks in the city entrances along with the Federal Police, as well as intensify police surveillance around the region, but he never did such thing.
SOURCE: SIPSE