Mexican Crime: Kidnappings In Mexico Have Risen 245% In Ten Years

In the last ten years, the rate of kidnapping in Mexico has risen 245 percent, according to the latest statistics from the Mexico's National Public Security System (SNSP). According to the results released today, in 2003, 413 kidnapping cases were reported - in 2013 there were 1,583 cases reported. In 2003, the average number of people released from kidnap was 34 per month, while in 2009 the number had risen to 96 per month with a total of 1,162 kidnaps reported that year.

These numbers have increased steadily over the last three years. In 2010, there were 1,236 kidnaps, in 2011 1,344 and in 2012 there were 1,317. So far that means that during Enrique Peña Nieto's first term in presidency there have been 1,704 cases: as a point of comparison, during Vicente Fox' presidency there were 2,658 while during Felipe Calderon's term there were 6,347 reported instances of kidnapping. In 2013, the average number of kidnappings per month was 143 per month - that's four per day or one every six hours.

During the National Security Commission's meeting on the 20th of December, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto instructed the Government Secretary to present a strategy in January specifically tailored to diminish the number of kidnappings, which he recognized had risen sharply in previous months.