TIJUANA (Border Report) — Baja California State Police released crime figures for the first part of 2020. The shocking number that jumps out: 327.
That’s the number of murders so far this year. Most of the killings are attributed to the ongoing wave of violence between rival cartels just south of the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana.
In comparison, the number of murders in the city of San Diego, just north of the border, was 50 for 2019.
Four recent murders in Tijuana
The level of violent robberies is also up according to stats furnished by Baja State Police. This type of crime has seen a 40% increase in the first 10 weeks of the year. The latest involved a dry cleaning business where the thieves brutally assaulted one of the employees.
A citizens group called Consejo Ciudadanos de Seguridad Publica, which has an advisory function and is a liaison between residents and public safety agencies, said Tijuana Municipal Police doesn’t have the resources to properly patrol the streets.
Tijuana police nab pickpockets, scammers near border crossing
“There’s a shortage of patrol cars, equipment and personnel,” said Juan Manuel Hernandez Niebla, head of the CCSP in Tijuana.
Tijuana’s Mayor, Arturo Gonzalez Cruz, responded by saying his administration has “already doubled efforts to try and cut down crime.”
