What Are the Challenges Facing the Police Considering the Reform of Mexico's National Public Security System?

Abstract

The new reforms to Mexico’s National Public Security System, approved in July 2025, aim to shift from a reactive model to a preventive one, placing particular emphasis on police professionalization, intergovernmental coordination, and the strategic use of intelligence and technology. Effective coordination among government entities is essential to achieving the objectives of identifying, monitoring, and dismantling ordinary criminal groups. This article examines and classifies the principal challenges faced by police forces across the three levels of the Mexican justice system in complying with these mandates, with particular attention to the urgent need to overcome institutional, training related, and sociocultural inertia that has hindered previous reform efforts.