Tourist security in Nogales
I crossed into Nogales, Sonora to see how things were. I talked to many people, most of them said the city is safe for you if you’re not a drug dealer. Some people said no place in the city is secure.
The streets, especially at night, were bare. I grew up here and know that it’s normally bustling. People are scared to leave. There is large police presence. They were introducing themselves to shop owners and residents; they were also stopping small offenders.
The police spokesperson told me the city is safe for tourists. I was weary of what she said, but when I spent the day talking to shop-owners, tourists and police, I saw that it was different.
32 new tourist police have been added these past few weeks. Shop owners seemed to like them, and one told me that it was a new breed of police. That they were more educated and introduced themselves to people.
From a distance I could see them introducing themselves to people and shaking hands. They were also stopping people for small violations. It seemed they stopped people who might frighten tourists, such as homeless people and some guys who were dressed like gansters.
When I talked to the officers, one told me that they’re trying to do things the way the should be done. Mexican police definitely have a bad reputation, but it seems that people in town do, in fact, think these are a new breed.
The American tourists I talked to said they felt safe and had seen an increase of police.
I didn’t know what to expect since I hadn’t crossed since the beginning of the crisis this summer. Personally, I felt safe downtown and I didn’t expect to.
