Originally Posted by
JDiver
Never believe police are there to help. In some areas they are bought lock stock and barrel by a cartel, in others they’re just corrupt. In my home town, one year there were ~300 reported express kidnappings (the target is kidnapped and made to use their ATM / cash card, sometimes for several days); a commission established by the local Diocese determined ~80% of these abductions were carried out by Morelos state police.
This is deeply disturbing, JDiver. I've always assumed that if I got into trouble in Mexico, the police would be of limited help. If I were robbed, they'd have limited resources in recovering my possessions. Fine. I could manage that. It never occured to me, though, that the police would pose an active threat against me.
This is what makes the "But these things can happen anywhere. They can happen to you at home" counterpoint so ridiculous. No. These things do not happen to us back home. Back home, the police will work with us if something bad happens. Even if they can't solve the crime, we can count on them being on our side.