January 4, 2012 - Update

So far we have not had to pay salaries for the private wing of the State police. Four Empresariales or State Police were sent here by the State of their own accord. Sr. Omar is the Commandante.

What is being paid:

1. Food-$2000 pesos per week for groceries with receipts, and ½ of that is being paid by Villa Amor.
2. Office-we are paying the rent for the office. This is $9000 pesos per quarter, paid quarterly to Sr. Santos who owns the building. We are also rent the Recycle Depot from Sr. Santos.
3. Vehicle-we are providing the ATV and Punta Sayulita buys gas and the stickers on the ATV for identification and they are to provide a white uniform shirt.
4. Telephone-we pay for a landline so the office always has the ability to answer a call. 329-291-3890

We are told that the Municipal Police will have an office at the new Pemex. Still needed in town is the ability to report crimes committed here in town at the office here with a Ministerio Publico or Prosecutor.
 
Damien and Marcos will meet with the Delegado and the Commandante to draft a letter to send in for a request for this to happen. They will be discussing routes, tactics and foot patrols.
Tuck will recirculate a letter that came originally from Neighbours Watching that gives tips on keeping safe here in Sayulita. The email for Neighbours Watching is neighborswatching@hotmail.com.

Enlace Program- Neighbours Watching have put out a call for donations for the Enlace Program. The Enlace will report a crime for you in Buscerias. GPS has donated $3000 pesos to the effort and more donations are to be made through Sayulita Investment Realty and only to Roxy Adams.
 
Phone numbers and duties of the 2 levels of Policing
Municipal Police - 322-104-8540 for noise bylaws, beach problems (ATV’s on the beach, obvious littering, turtle poaching)
Headquarters in Valle - 01-329-291-0049
State Police - /Tourist Police local station number here in Sayulita 329-291-3890 . This number is for assaults, robberies, and drug violations.
 

Grupo Pro Sayulita has been collecting funds to hire the private police section of the State Tourist Police however this arm of the police does not seem to be taking on new customers and may shut down. The Grupo Pro Sayulita board of directors and Punta Sayulita have been working closely with the Tourist Police, Policia Preventiva and Policia Empresarial as they are the same State Police force and the same personnel. Without GPS support, this increase in the police presence would not have happened; we are giving the support necessary to increase it further and to make it permanent and responsive to our needs. Supporting them with specific needs should cost less and hopefully serve our needs better. It is not exactly what we thought was going to happen but it might actually work out better and we believe it goes along the same lines as what we said we would do.

GPS has been supporting them by providing an office, barracks and a quad. We're pretty impressed with the quality of the new crew. We think that it might end up being a better deal for Sayulita to provide support to the police forces that are already here.

There seems to be a better police presence on the street at this time and we are working on agreements that will keep the Tourist Police in Sayulita 24/7 and improve their effectiveness. Specifically, an official letter has been sent to Tepic to the Governor requesting the return of Comandante Omar. We want to see an agreement about how police elements are replaced, a sharing of the office with a State Attorney and we want to make sure there is always a bi-lingual person to answer the phones. This would allow robberies and break-ins to be reported here in Sayulita. Assuredly, our support must be based on results and we should have certain assurances from higher ups as to personnel replacement procedures and a minimum police presence in Sayulita.

Obviously, results will take some time to evaluate but since we have signed no contract our support is completely voluntary. I think it's important to understand that there are no guarantees here. Those on the ground in Sayulita are working with an evolving situation and trying to learn as they go. Our objective is to get the best level of police protection that we can for the lowest cost but this is going to require a fair amount of flexibility before we get it all figured out. Presently it is very important to report all crimes using the neighborswatching@hotmail.com email address. You will receive help from members to make your reports. GPS and Punta Sayulita will keep donors and the public informed as the security issues in Sayulita improve.
 

June 26, 2011 Community Police Project (CPP) Update

Grupo Pro Sayulita would like to thank those who have contributed to Sayulita’s initiative to improve the security situation here, including the hiring of more State Police (under the Policia Empresarial Program). When hired, these uniformed personnel will have a full time (24/7/365) presence in Sayulita. GPS is involved with this program because a legal organization was needed to sign the contract, and in addition, we agreed to solicit and monitor the funds through our contacts and online donation facility.
 
More than 100 residents have responded and we have collected about $40,000 (U.S.; details of income and expenses will be posted), and that’s enough to at least get the pilot program off the ground! Of course, we are wishing that three times that number would contribute. Please consider donating now if you haven’t done so!
 
The Policia Empresarial are going through a new certification process right now and we are waiting for officers to be assigned to the program and expect to hire officers soon. In the meantime we are working closely with the State Police elements that are assigned to our area to implement a total approach to resolve Sayulita’s crime problem. As we improve our contacts and influence with the State Police we will be able to improve the systems we are putting in place. We can continue to upgrade our facility and services as needed.
 
This update is directed primarily towards all who have contributed to this important project and to those homeowners who derive income from renting their homes but have not yet sent in their contribution. The reason we have targeted this group of homeowners is that the greatest number of robberies have been perpetrated towards your guests. This is a serious problem and it affects the very heart of Sayulita’s economy, well being and quality of life. Again, if you have not contributed we urge you to do so now.

April 11, 2011 - ALL HOMEOWNERS NEED TO READ THIS LETTER CAREFULLY.

It has been determined that the best first step (after much data collection and meetings) is to hire more police by collecting 400 pesos per month per home (so $33 U.S. per month, or $400 per year) from hopefully a minimum of 250 homes. Of course, we want many more, to finance an even greater effort. This income will pay for up to 4 hired State Police officers to patrol all neighborhoods of Sayulita 24/7, 12 months of the year. If we get less money, we can reduce the number for certain months or shifts. However, we want to patrol all the streets and sections of Sayulita, including up in the hills; the starting proposal calls for 2 officers during the day and 4 at night, riding around on two quads. Equally important, there will be one telephone number to call for immediate assistance.
 
For your information, hiring State Police Officers is a system in Mexico to allow for more security at low rates. These officers are uniformed, carry arms, and can legally arrest people. However, their area of patrol and time of policing is determined by the party that has hired them. The advantage of contracting them is that the contract can be modified as needed. We are paying them on a monthly basis. Town leaders have been informed and are in support of this initiative.
 
Neighbors Watching and the Community Police Program (as a committee of GPS) recommend that each homeowner take basic steps for prevention, such as dead-bolt locks, safes, secure windows and doors and informing all guests/tenants to be careful to lock away valuables and not to allow houses to be easily entered. For those tenants who make drug purchases, do not invite dealers into the homes. We can’t emphasize enough that even with better police security, homeowners/tenants need to take the first steps in prevention. In addition, all robberies need to be reported to the Neighbors Watching (as well as reported in Bucerias).
 
We are focused on basic robberies and home invasion; we think that better patrol of all the streets of town will greatly reduce those incidences.
 
All names and home names and contact information will be held privately within the group and will not be published. However, names, email addresses, house names and the streets where the houses are located are important information so that we can keep track of income as well as routes for officers.
 
This plan calls for all homeowners to support hiring police by a fixed donation. We are requesting 12 months dues to simplify our bookkeeping and to allow us to secure the necessary equipment for a full effort. You can pay using credit card or Paypal online; it is also set up for people to give additional donations above their 400 pesos/$33 U.S. per month ($400 per year). All income will be used solely for the hiring of police officers as well as accessory expenses (vehicle rental or purchase (ATVs), gas, telephone or communication equipment, Paypal charges, dispatch service, etc.).
 
There will be a lot of publicity about this to reach all homeowners, and we hope to collect the bulk of our fees within two weeks in order to get the police on the streets and patrolling immediately. Talk to your neighbors and friends, and make sure they are participating!