Mexico. Miguel Ángel Mancera took office as mayor of Mexico City on December 5, promising to install seven thousand new security cameras and join forces with neighboring states to create a shield against violent crime in the capital.
The megalopolis has not been as affected by the drug-related violence that plagues much of the country, but violence by organized groups has infiltrated neighboring districts in Mexico state, which surrounds the country's capital.
Mancera, a 46-year-old lawyer, called on the governors of central Mexico to launch the "Escudo Centro" program to coordinate prosecutions and contribute to federal crime-fighting efforts.
Mexico City is home to approximately nine million people, and 12 million more people in the metropolitan area. The city's homicide rate was 12 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2011, half the national average.
Under his predecessor, Marcelo Ebrard, the city placed around 15,000 security cameras to monitor the streets. Mancera said the additional seven thousand cameras he requested will be installed in low-income residential areas.
