Crime, Mexico

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In Mexico City, crime has reached critical levels. Low apprehension and conviction rates of criminals contribute to the high rate of crime. Metropolitan areas other than the capital are considered to have lower but still serious levels of crime activity. Travelers to Mexico should leave valuables and irreplaceable items at home in the U.S. All visitors to Mexico are encouraged to make use of hotel safes when available, avoid wearing obviously expensive jewelry or designer clothing and carry only the cash or credit cards that will be needed on each outing. Travelers are discouraged from bringing very large amounts of cash into Mexico, as officials may suspect money laundering or other criminal activity. While public safety officials in Mexico City point to statistical evidence that crime in the capital has fallen off in the last three years, public concern regarding security – and in particular kidnappings – is greater than ever. The most frequently reported crimes involve taxi robberies, armed robbery, pickpocketing and purse snatching. In several cases, tourists report that uniformed police are the crime perpetrators, stopping vehicles and seeking money or assaulting and robbing tourists walking late at night. The area behind the U.S. Embassy and the Zona Rosa, a restaurant/shopping area near the Embassy, are occasional sites of street crime against foreigners. Caution should be exercised when walking in these areas, especially at night. Any U.S. citizen victims of crime in Mexico are encouraged to report the incident to local police authorities and to the nearest U.S. consular office.

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General Tips about Mexico

» Required travel documents for Mexico
» Electric power
» Area code to Mexico
» Weather
» Pets
» Failure to pay hotel bills
» If You Have Been the Victim of a Crime
» Crime
» Bringing Your Own Plane or Boat to Mexico
» Military Checkpoints
» Yucatan-Campeche and Quintana Roo Borders
» Rental Cars
» Insurance
» Learn local driving signals.
» Travel by Car
» At the Pool or Beach
» On Streets and Highways
» At the Hotel
» In an Emergency
» Health
» Returning to the United States – Caution!
» Residing or Retiring in Mexico
» Tourist Cards
» Getting Into Mexico
» Public Announcements
» Acanceh
» Chichen Itza
» El Museo
» Eating out
» Driving
» San Gervasio Ruins
» Museum of Indigenous Instruments
» Celarin Lighthouse
» Cedral
» Water
» MEXICAN FOOD
» Driving in Mexico
» Religion in Mexico
» Tips in Mexico
» Restaurants and Bars in Mexico
» Hotels in Mexico
» Highways in Mexico
» Electricity
» Visas
» Take two teaspoons of Pepto Bismol...
» Most people know to ask for unopened bottled water ...
» In a restaurant, ask for a bottle of water unopened
» Bring light ponchos for rain gear.
» Photocopy all your travel documents
» Wear beach shoes
» San Cristóbal de las Casas
» Punta Celerain Lighthouse, Cozumel
» El Cedral Cozumel
» Paseo Kukulcan
» Beaches
» Avenida Tulum
» Isla Mujeres
» Cozumel
» Cancun
» Tulum
» Playa del Carmen
» San Gervasio Mayan Ruins
» Chankanaab Park
» Texcoco
» Tepozotlan
» Iztaccihuatl - Popocatepetl
» Chalma
» Our Lady of Guadalupe
» Tlatelolco
» Chapultepec
» Paseo de la Reforma
» Teotihuacán
» Baja California
» Yucatán
» Puebla
» Oaxaca
» Monterrey
» Guadalajara
» Acapulco
» Mexico City

   More travel tips about Mexico