MEXICO UNVEILS NEW FEDERAL POLICE FORCE

MEXICO CITY - Mexico unveiled a new federal police force
Wednesday, responding to citizens' clamor for more protection from
kidnappings, highway robberies and other crimes plaguing the nation.

The so-called Federal Preventive Police (PFP), a force of more than
14,000 officers including 5,000 military police, will also work to
crack down on illegal immigration, unlawful arms possession and drug
trafficking, officials said.

Those sorts of offenses increasingly have terrorized Mexicans, who
enjoyed a relatively low crime rate until a 1995 economic crisis threw
a million Mexicans out of work and ushered in a new era of violence.

"It's obvious that we Mexicans are in total paranoia over crime,"
Javier Ibarrola, an independent analyst specializing in security
matters, told Reuters. "The worse part is that we're getting used to
it and see it as natural."

The Federal Preventive Police will support "preventive" polices forces
at the local level, whose main job is to patrol the streets and
curtail crime as it happens. Mexican states and the federal government
also have detective forces that work for the various attorneys general
whose main tasks are to investigate.

"The new police structure encompasses federal highways, ports and
borders," PFP Commissioner Wilfredo Robledo told a ceremony launching
the new force.

Robledo said 700 agents would form the intelligence unit and that
8,500 would safeguard the highways, borders, airports and seaports.

Another 5,000 military police would remain in their barracks except
when needed for anti-terrorist operations and "crisis management,"
Robledo said.

But despite concern over crime, in which citizens' anti-crime groups
have launched street protests and some towns have formed their own
vigilante forces, about half of Mexicans oppose using the army for
police work, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

The MORI polling firm surveyed 2,155 adults from Aug. 1-14 and
reported that 34 percent "strongly oppose" using the military as part
of the police force in Mexico while 16 percent "relatively oppose"
such an army role.

Yet 21 percent "strongly support" and 23 percent "relatively support"
the idea.

The poll had a margin of error of 2.2 percent.