Neighbors working together are the real ‘self-defense’ groups

CANCUN — Tired of all the robberies, break-ins, attempted rapes of women and young girls — and just crime in general — neighbors of several zones of the city decided to organize themselves in ‘self-defense groups’ or neighborhood-watch committees to fight back against crime.

As reported by NotiCaribe.com, the main purpose of these neighborhood associations is defending their residents’ homes and families, as well as anyone who needs help. Local authorities took them into account when the group was created; police agents were there only once to give them a workshop to protect themselves.

Lacking an ‘effective’ surveillance by the security forces of the municipality, the neighbors organized themselves to make sure they all had the tools for crime prevention, both in their business stores and homes. “The municipal authorities just came to see us once, then they gave us a talk, and took pictures with us. They claimed that we were going to work together, but since then we have not heard from them”, said one of Region 233 neighbors who belongs to the self-defense group of this zone.

Existence of self-defense groups or neighborhood watch committees has been noted more  than three years in Cancún; some have only been active for a year, and others are in the process of being created. There are neighbors who have “chicharras” (radios) that are activated in case of emergency, and others use WhatsApp groups to communicate. However, the objective remains the same: to protect oneself from crime.

SOURCE: NotiCaribe