Mauricio Vila highlights Yucatan Security during National Tourism Congress

The advantages and characteristics of Yucatán, as well as the actions that have been carried out in terms of security, were presented by Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal in his participation as a panelist at the 2023 National Tourism Congress “Towards the renewal of the Mexican tourism agenda.”

With the aim of continuing to promote this important sector, Vila Dosal was part of the panel who addressed the topic of Security for Tourism.

Also included were the mayor of Tampico, Jesús Nader Nasrallah; the general director of the Los Cabos Tourism Trust (Fitarcu), Rodrigo Esponda, and the former director of the National Intelligence Center (Cisen), Guillermo Valdés Castellanos.

At the event, where Braulio Arsuaga Losada, president of the National Tourism Business Council (CNET), was also present, the governor presented Yucatán’s successful experience in terms of security conditions, which, he said, has been achieved as a result of the Secretariat of State Security (SSP) annual budget increase.

From 2018 to 2023 it increased by 111%, going from 1,549 to 1,263 million pesos; In addition, a law was approved so that it will not be reduced in the coming years.

Before businessmen, political leaders, government representatives, private companies and civil associations in the sector, Vila Dosal indicated that he has committed to security on two fronts:

1) The infrastructure and equipment of the SSP with more state and municipal patrols, boats and the helicopter considered the most modern of its type in Latin America, the new C5i from which the 6,775 cameras and 219 highway arches are monitored and 2,410 traffic lights can be controlled intelligent.

2) The improvement in the working conditions of police officers, providing them with quality medical care services, an above-average salary and they are the only ones in the country to have a housing loan, as well as scholarships for their children.

“In Yucatán we want our police officers to do well and as a team with the private sector we support our elements with other additional benefits such as free and exclusive transportation through the Citizen Heroes Route and a card of the same name to give them discounts of up to 50% in more than 1,000 establishments,” said Vila Dosal.

The governor explained that Yucatán, along with its neighbor Campeche, are the only two states in the entire country for which the United States government has not issued a recommendation regarding insecurity risks, according to the latest travel alert from the Department of State of that country, corresponding to August of this year.

“This has been achieved by strengthening our institutions through infrastructure and providing all the benefits to its elements to prevent corruption; For example, in Yucatán a police officer will think twice about becoming corrupt because he would lose his health insurance, his house, his children’s scholarship to study and his competitive salary,” he noted.

As a result, the entity has remained a benchmark in security and this is reflected by ranking us as the most peaceful state in Mexico, according to the Institute for Economy and Peace.”

“In 2022, the crime incidence was reduced by -51% compared to 2021, according to data from the federal government, and the state has the lowest rates in the country in common crimes such as intentional homicide, looting, home burglaries, vehicle theft and kidnapping, the governor stressed.

“History teaches us that strengthening the law, community work and maintaining ethics is the best path to lasting peace, so in Yucatán and its government, the work route is clear, so Agreements are only made with those who add and not with those who act illegally,” stated Vila Dosal.

For this reason, the governor emphasized, the coordinated work is not only carried out with the elements of the SSP, but with the entire Justice System, so that if there is a crime it does not go unpunished, so In Yucatán we have a coordination structure with the three levels of government and the three branches of government, as well as autonomous bodies for efficient coordination between institutions.

Likewise, we strengthen the infrastructure and technological equipment with the Digital Justice and Digital Prosecutor’s Office programs in order for justice and processes to be closer to the people, we promoted and approved that the State Prosecutor’s Office become autonomous.

With this, the governor reiterated, it will be impartial in its decision-making, will have its own budget and operates in accordance with the law without the influence of any government.

In this sense, Vila Dosal argued that the creation of the “Yucatan Patrimonial and Economic Intelligence Agency (AIPEY)” was approved, which is a new public body that will join the fight against corruption and operations carried out with illicit resources; In addition, it will have autonomy to be more transparent and independent from any government.

In an outstanding manner, he stressed that his administration’s strategy to have a police force resistant to corruption and the pressures of organized crime has given excellent results in terms of citizen trust and perception of corruption.

According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), in 2023 Yucatán ranked first in performance of the state police, as well as second place in the highest perception of women’s safety.

Inegi itself pointed out that in 2021 the entity occupied the first national position in Trust in the state government, second national place in lowest Perception of Corruption and both the SSP and the State Attorney General’s Office obtained first national place in Effective Performance and Trust.

This year’s edition of the Congress was attended by national and international personalities such as Miguel Torruco Marqués, federal Secretary of Tourism; Maribel Rodríguez, vice president of World Travel and Tourism Council; Eduardo Osuna, general director of BBVA; Jorge Arce Gama, Chairman of the Board and CEO of HSBC; Adrián Otero Rosiles, general director of Scotiabank México; as well as Kemel Kharbachi – Founder and President of EOS-X Spaceship Company, among others.

TYT Newsroom