74.9% of Mexicans feel insecure in the place where they live. The cities where more than 90% of its inhabitants feel in greatest danger are Ecatepec, Villahermosa, Reynosa, Cancún, Fresnillo, and Tapachula, according to the National Survey of Urban Public Safety (ENSU), conducted by INEGI.
The measurement, taken in the first half of September 2018, indicates that women (79.7%) are the ones who feel most at risk compared to men (69.2%).
The cities where its inhabitants feel safer are: San Pedro Garza García, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mérida, Saltillo, Durango and Puerto Vallarta.
81.7% of the respondents said that the most insecure is in the ATMs; 75.1% fear public transport, 69.9% feel insecure in the bank and 67.8% in the streets they usually use.
The places where they feel most safe are the school (27.7%), the house (30.8%) and their work (39.2%).
The future does not look promising in terms of security perception. 33.2% considered that in the next 12 months the situation of crime in their city will continue equally bad; while 25.1% of the population reports that the situation will worsen in the same period.
The feeling of insecurity for fear of crime, says the survey, is determined by factors such as witnessing criminal or antisocial behavior. 64.6% of the respondents said they had witnessed robberies or assaults; 66.6% alcohol consumption in the street; 53.4% vandalism in homes or businesses, 44.5% witnessed the sale or consumption of drugs, 41% frequent shooting with weapons and 37.1% saw violent gangs.
Insecurity also forces people to change their routines or habits.
65.8% of the population said they changed their habits regarding “carrying valuable things like jewelry, money or credit cards” for fear of suffering some crime. 61.1% said that they no longer allow “their minor children to leave their home”; while 55.8% stopped “walking around the house, after eight o’clock at night”.
Once again the municipal and state police were the worst rated by citizens.
The respondents rated the performance as “very or somewhat effective” to the Navy (85.8%), Army (82.4%), National Gendarmerie (69.2%), Federal Police (64.4%). While only 48.6% considers the State Police effective and 38.6% the Municipal Preventive Police.
