-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk The zero tolerance Giuliani roadshow arrives in Mexico Protected by 10 cars and 12 motorcycles, New York's former mayor says he can sell his crime strategy in Latin America's biggest city Jo Tuckman in Mexico City Wednesday January 15 2003 The Guardian Mexico City, the biggest metropolis in Latin America, plagued by years of rampant crime, has welcomed its latest weapon against murder and corruption: Rudolph Giuliani. The former mayor of New York has arrived in the capital for the first instalment of a crime-busting contract which will earn his consultancy company a $4.3m (£2.7m) fee. During a frenetic two-day visit, he told residents he believed he could do for them what he achieved for the people of New York with a "zero tolerance" policy. "Our purpose is to evaluate the situation, and then make recommendations using the experience and knowledge we have that has worked elsewhere," said Mr Giuliani, who is credited with bringing down crime in his own city by 60% overall, and murders by 70%. Mr Giuliani said he would be revealing his crime-busting recommendations in May. It will be the first time that the former mayor has tried to adapt the "zero tolerance" philosophy to a foreign city. Mexico City is not an easy place to start, even for the man who emerged a popular hero from September 11 and has become the personification of leadership for many people. The crime problem in Mexico City is not only tough, but also culturally specific. The crisis began in the mid-1990s, prompted by economic turmoil, and soon became firmly entrenched. Currently, about 500 crimes are reported daily, although criminologists say that this represents only about 10% of the total, and that only about 10% of crimes reported lead to convictions. The "zero tolerance" idea is rooted in the theory that combating major crimes is best done by tackling an underlying "culture of crime" - which means cracking down on even minor misdemeanors. This is something which could prove particularly difficult in Mexico City. Kidnappings, assaults and bank robberies catch the headlines, but rule-breaking runs particularly deep in a place where policemen called to investigate a burglary may walk off with an extra something for themselves; where bribing cops is accepted practice; where many ignore even the concept of taxes; and where only a tiny minority respect traffic regulations. While in Mexico, Mr Giuliani acknowledged there were difficulties in imposing the New York model wholesale, and promised cultural sensitivity. "Some things are transferable and some are not," he said. "But whatever the differences in culture, background and laws, the objective for all decent societies is absolutely the same, and that is protection and safety: the single most important human right." Although unwilling to give much away about his recommendations, he did mention the importance of fighting corruption in the police force. One policeman, Marcelino Flores, said: "The first thing Giuliani needs to do is to raise salaries. The next is training. Salaries here are way too low if they want a clean police force." Part of the strategy seems to be just that, with an increase in salaries from the current average of about £4,300 a year. Although this was Mr Giuliani's first visit, his advisers have been in and out of Mexico since the contract was announced in October. A visit planned for November was cancelled at the last minute amid rumours of a kidnapping threat, and his arrival this week was a surprise to most. >From the moment Mr Giuliani touched down at 3.30am on Tuesday, he moved around the >city cocooned in ostentatious security and shadowed by a cloud of journalists. He >took a ride through the "Barrio Bravo" of Tepito, where even army operations against >drugs and arms trafficking are repelled by criminals defending their territory. Not that the former mayor could have seen much at such an early hour from inside a van surrounded by 10 other cars and a dozen motorcycles. There were also endless meetings with officials and the business leaders who are footing the bill, and who appear to view Mr Giuliani as a kind of saviour. Others are not convinced. The deal upsets nationalist sensitivities and seems at odds with the ethos of the leftwing mayor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had previously criticized "zero tolerance" for promoting police abuse. A taxi driver, Alejandro Lagran, said: "You can't compare New York to Mexico City. People there are richer and there is more control." Mr Giuliani brushed aside such doubts during a press conference on Tuesday. "Back in 1990, New York City was known as The Rotten Apple, and now it is one of the safest cities in America, if not the safest," he said. But he warned against premature celebrations. "In New York, it took four years of incremental change. This is the beginning of a long process." Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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