MEXICO CITY, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Mexico is deploying some 5,000 federal police officers to help combat crime at top tourism resorts, Mexico's national security commissioner Renato Sales said on Tuesday.
Police presence has been increased in the country's two most famous vacation destinations Cancun in the Mexican Caribbean, and Los Cabos on the tip of the Baja California Peninsula, according to Sales, as part of an operation to curb drug violence and protect the country's tourism industry.
Police force has also been beefed up in the cities of Colima and Tecoman, as well as the Pacific coast resort of Manzanillo, all in the northwestern state of Colima, which has recently been plagued by drug violence.
In 2017, the state's homicide rate shot up to 114.74 per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in the country, showed official data.
"You are going to feel, you are going to sense the federal government's presence," Sales said in a televised interview.
"More than 5,000 officers initially and, of course, more will be added depending on the need," said Sales.
"Initially, there are five cities, but there are going to be more in different states," he added.
Last year, Mexico reported record high number of homicide cases over two decades. Authorities blame the wave of mounting violence on smaller drug cartels who are trying to wrest control of this lucrative market.
