Mayor Announces Increased Security in Tourist Zone

(Acapulco, JG 28 October) In last night’s public City Council meeting, members of the group called upon the mayor to step up security in the tourist zone of Acapulco during the long November 2 weekend, as many tourists will be arriving in town. Acapulco is returning to a more normal state after suffering several incidents of drug gang turf battles, and the situation is described as “delicate.” “There are elements around who are banking on things going poorly in Acapulco in the next few days,” said one council member, who did not cite any specific names.

One measure of the return to normal activities is the fact that all air travel between Mexico City and Acapulco is completely sold out. Mayor José Luis Ávila Sánchez, in a press interview prior to the meeting, said that the town is counting on very close cooperation among all the law enforcement elements available, including military, federal, state and municipal police to make tourism as “pleasant, safe and secure as ever.” He said, “We are professionals in giving attention to the tourists,” and reiterated that everyone is “following their normal rhythm of work. The tourists keep coming, and they are content and secure.”

In a separate interview, the Guerrero State Secretary of Public Safety, Juan Heriberto Salinas Altés, confirmed that more security has been put on alert, and that military police patrols are planned for the outlying, less affluent suburbs of Acapulco, where the gang violence has been most evident.