President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday during a speech commemorating the seventh anniversary of the Guardia Nacional that there has been a significant drop in violent crime.
The announcement serves as a key benchmark for the administration's security strategy, attempting to validate the effectiveness of the national force while acknowledging a persistent gap in citizen trust.
During the event, Sheinbaum said there was a 46% reduction in intentional homicides over the seven-year period since the force's inception [1]. This figure represents a central pillar of the government's argument that the Guardia Nacional has successfully stabilized volatile regions of the country.
To support these operational goals, the president said the force now consists of 125,000 personnel [2]. These officers operate across 53 coordinations [2] and are stationed in 590 barracks, known as cuarteles [2].
Despite the numerical gains in homicide reduction, Sheinbaum said the agency faces social challenges. She said it is necessary to regain public confidence in the security forces, a goal that requires more than just statistical improvements in crime rates.
The Guardia Nacional was established to centralize security efforts and provide a more cohesive response to organized crime across Mexico's diverse states. By linking the anniversary to specific data on homicides, the administration is framing the agency not just as a military presence, but as a tool for public safety.
“a 46% reduction in intentional homicides over seven years”
The administration is attempting to pivot the narrative around the Guardia Nacional from one of mere troop deployment to one of measurable results. By citing a nearly 50% drop in homicides alongside the massive scale of the force's infrastructure, Sheinbaum is signaling that the government views the current security model as a success, even as it admits that public perception of the force remains a critical vulnerability.
