Mexican police continue negotiations as force dissolved

MEXICO CITY – Mexican officials continue to negotiate with federal police who have held a command centre in the capital for four days as the police protest their incorporation into the National Guard.

Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejía said in a statement Saturday that joining the National Guard is optional, with alternatives to conserve rank and pay by joining other government agencies, such as the National Migration Institute.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador plans to dissolve the police force, which he has slammed as largely inept and corrupt.

The newly launched National Guard has recruited some federal police, as well as soldiers and marines in an effort to stem violent crime and immigration.

Mexico is experiencing the highest number of killings in at least 20 years, though the rate of the homicides has stabilized in recent months.