The cities with the highest percentage of 18 year olds who felt that living in their towns or cities was unsafe were Villahermosa (95 percent), Coatzacoalcos (94), Acapulco (93.5), the eastern area of Mexico City (91.2), Toluca (82.2) and Chilpancingo (88.6), according to the National Urban Public Safety Survey (ENSU) conducted by the National Statistics and Geography Institute (INEGI) last month.
The survey said that 70 percent of the population of 18 year olds believe that living in their cities is unsafe, the biggest increase since March 2014. Villahermosa, Coatzacoalcos, Acapulco, Mexico City, Chilpancingo and Toluca registered the greatest perception of insecurity.
The percentage recorded in June of those feeling insecurity and fearing crime was slightly higher than that of the same month of 2015, which was 69 percent. This is the biggest increase since March 2014 when 70.2 percent of the population reported that they felt unsafe in their city.
Toluca, Villahermosa, and Coatzacoalcos have joined the list of cities with the highest concern over insecurity while cities whose concerns have dropped were: Merida (30 percent), Tepic (30.4), San Francisco de Campeche (36), Saltillo (43.8), and Durango (46.4).
The perception of security around specific physical locations was also reported with 78.6 percent of 18 year olds saying that they felt unsafe at ATMs, 71.3 percent while on public transport, 66 percent in the bank, and 62 percent while on streets they used regularly.
INEGI reports that the feeling of insecurity and fear that people have is influenced by various factors, such as criminal or antisocial behaviors that occur in populated areas.
ESTEBAN BATORY SANDORF
