BajaNews - 1-18-2006 at 06:08 AM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20060118-9...
By Anna Cearley
January 18, 2006
TIJUANA ? The city's business leaders, who have recently expressed concerns about kidnappings, announced a series of proposals yesterday that they
hope can reduce the city's crime problem.
"This was started because we have a problem, a problem of insecurity," said Daniel Romero, president of a coalition of business groups that includes
the Chamber of Commerce and industry associations.
The proposals don't focus on kidnappings, but on crime in general. They include requests for more vehicle searches for guns and drugs, and a crackdown
on minors loitering after 11 p.m. They also include a push for more citations of drunken drivers and tougher restrictions on alcohol sales.
Some of the ideas have been implemented in the past. For example, last year city police started ticketing vehicles with tinted windows, which are
often used by criminals ? including kidnappers ? to conceal their identities.
In recent weeks, members of the business community have met with law enforcement authorities to express their concerns about the kidnappings.
The situation worsened Friday when a prominent businessman, Alfredo Cuentas Ochoa, was shot and killed when he and his teenage son attempted to avoid
being kidnapped as they fled in their car. His son was critically injured, according to newspaper reports.
It's unclear whether a marked increase in kidnappings is taking place, or whether the business community is reacting to an accumulation of events. Few
people report kidnappings here to police, either because they don't want to aggravate the situation or because they don't trust authorities.
Romero wouldn't provide any statistics, saying that doing so would be pure speculation.
Romero acknowledged that kidnappings "are important for those who have the voice and the money." Yesterday, however, he emphasized the city's more
common crime problems of robberies and assaults.
"The idea is not to focus on one single crime because in that way it makes it seem that the rest doesn't exist and that's not true," he said.
The proposals are being presented to local law enforcement authorities. Baja California's attorney general, Antonio Mart?nez Luna, said the private
sector is showing a willingness to collaborate. One of the proposals asks city officials to eliminate an after-hours alcohol permit program used by
many bars and clubs.
"They continue demanding results . . . but they are accepting their equal responsibility," he said.
lizard lips - 1-18-2006 at 09:08 AM
Good Luck with this!