Mexico : transformation réussie
In the mid-2000s, with violence and pollution at record levels, Mexico City had an image problem. Businesses were moving out, tourists were staying away, and the residents were concerned. But over the last five years, a comprehensive urban security solution deployed by Thales and Telmex has dramatically improved the quality of life in this growing metropolis of 22 million inhabitants.
Detailed needs analysis
In seven years, Mexico City has achieved a remarkable transformation. Long ranked as one of the most dangerous places in the world, today it boasts a level of safety and security on a par with many major cities in the United States. The dramatic turnaround is in large part due to an ambitious plan called Ciudad Segura (safe city), a public security programme launched in 2009 on an unprecedented scale to cover the entire metropolitan area of 5,000 sq. km.
The programme set out to bring down crime rates and help public safety and security agencies (police, firefighters, first responders, etc.) to operate more efficiently by improving coordination. For almost a year, Thales specialists worked closely with the city authorities, the police department and other agencies to understand how the system's future users operated and what kinds of violence and other crime they were dealing with. Together, they hammered out an overall concept of operations that matched the city' specific requirements. Indeed, one of the outcomes of this detailed needs analysis was the reorganisation of the city police department into five districts, instead of 20 before.
Finding the right combination of technologies
Thales then began to build a comprehensive solution, selecting the most suitable technologies to achieve the objectives of all the programme's stakeholders. Today, Mexico City boasts an urban security solution unlike any other in the world in terms of its scale and the sheer number of technologies it employs.
Thales and Telmex deployed an integrated C2 (command and control) system including one of the world's largest C4I centres, with 250 operators. This facility coordinates five local, multi-agency C2 centres, one for each of the five law enforcement districts, that handle routine security operations as well as emergency response. The solution also includes two mobile C2 centres, complete with reconnaissance and surveillance UAVs, which can be deployed in a major emergency situation or for large-scale events.[1]
Thousands of sensors are deployed across the city — 15,000 surveillance cameras, license plate recognition cameras, gunshot sensors, seismic sensors, power failure detectors, UAVs and emergency call points for members of the public. These sensors send data to the central system, which analyses it in real time and transmits alerts to police, fire crews and emergency services whenever unusual events or behaviours are detected. Advanced video analysis, big data analytics and visualisation solutions to provide reliable, readily actionable information for users. Over time, the systems have been continually enhanced on the basis of feedback from users and citizens. Today, for example, new predictive tools are used to deploy available resources more effectively on the city’s streets.
Beyond the statistics
Since the project was launched in 2009, better multi-agency coordination[2] and smart data applications have brought down crime rates by 48.9% and reduced emergency response times by a factor of six (from 12 min. to 2:09 min.).
Above all, residents have noticed marked improvements to the quality of life in the city and are vocal in their support for the ongoing development of the security programme.[3] More than 1,600 new businesses have set up in Mexico City since the start of the programme [4] and the city is starting to attract a steady flow of new visitors.
The Ciudad Segura programme has made a significant contribution to the quality of life in Mexico City, making it a much safer and more attractive place to live and work. In many respects, the Mexican capital has become a showcase for the smart, connected cities of the future.
Find out more:
- The Mexico City authorities communicate widely about the Ciudad Segura programme.
See for example:- / Ciudad Segura CDMX – @ciudad_segura for latest news and information
- Programa Ciudad Segura: Informe de resultados (PDF, in Spanish) on the dedicated website www.caepccm.df.gob.mx
- Mexico City, the world’s most ambitious urban security programme.
- Crime rates reduced by 48.9% since 2009
- Average response times down from 12 min. to 2:09 min.
- Insurance premiums down by 30%
- 50% of stolen cars recovered within 72 hours
- City now more attractive for residents, businesses and tourists
Smart analysis of the data collected by Mexico City’s urban security system, using big analytics and other sophisticated techniques, has revealed a number of previously unsuspected activities such as movements of vehicle convoys by organised crime syndicates.
It has also enabled the authorities to deal effectively with unlicensed taxis. When a camera detects an illuminated ‘taxi’ sign on a vehicle, the automated license plate recognition system checks it against the database of officially registered for-hire vehicles. Unregistered vehicles can then be easily identified by traffic police conducting routine stops.
The number of stolen cars has also plummeted because the system quickly detects cloned licence plates. It provides the authorities with precise time and location details for vehicles with copied plates so that they can be intercepted and investigated.
civil protection authorities, Mexico City metro, fire brigades, Department of Health, citizens.