Winning the Public Over

One of the ongoing barriers for Mexico's anti-crime strategy is that many regular citizens don't perceive them as the good guy, per se, but rather as the moral equal of the groups they are fighting. It's also worth pointing out that the ambivalence toward the government is well earned in many cases, and also the extent to which that sentiment permeates the society is often exaggerated, but it certainly exists. Anyway, one simple way that the PGR is trying to win over civilians is cash: Excélsior reports that it has drastically increased the size of its rewards for information leading to the capture of organized criminals, up to 30 million pesos in some cases (around $2.5 million). A year and a half ago, Mexican authorities were offering rewards of a maximum 5,000 pesos (about $400) for the capture of the biggest fish, which boggles the mind.