Roasrito Beach, Baja saftey issues

This just in from the Mayor of Rosarito Beach who is very dedicated to make sure all people especailly tourist are safe. He has added a large amount of new police as well as created a tourist police force to ensure peoples safety.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 21, 2008

Rosarito Beach Increasing Force By A Third;
200 Police Officers Expected By December

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---The city expects to increase its police force to 200 officers before the end of the year, making it one-third larger than it was last December.
The increase is part of the ongoing effort of Mayor Hugo Torres to improve the police department and make the city more secure, especially as Mexico fights the organized crime influence of drug cartels.
The department had 147 officers when Torres took office last year, after a campaign in which he pledged reform. This week the force reached 188 with the addition of 10 officers. Twelve cadets in the Tecate police academy are expected to join in December.
The increase comes even though more than half of the officers on the force have been replaced, after being given extensive ethics testing and review which began last December.
In addition, officers’ salaries have been increased. More equipment --- including weapons --- have been purchased or loaned by the state, with more expected. The city also has established a special tourist police force.
“These are significant improvements which have given us a much better force, which we will continue to improve, in staffing, training and equipment,” Torres said.
As elsewhere in Mexico, state and federal authorities have the main responsibility in fighting organized crime, but Rosarito’s expanded force will be better prepared to deal with that struggle as well as standard city police duties, Torres said.
On Wednesday five bodies, all believed linked to drug cartels, were discovered in Rosarito, four of which were left in an abandoned vehicle. The killings are believed linked to a battle between rival factions of a drug cartel.
Thursday morning, one person was seriously wounded in a shooting in an outlying part of the city. Rosarito police responded quickly and recovered weapons and drugs in that incident.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ron Raposa
619-948-3740