Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Making Puerto Vallarta a safer and more conscientious city are two of the main objectives of the current municipal administration headed by Mayor Arturo Dávalos Peña who, through the Citizens' Security Department, is taking actions that aim to keep Vallartenses safe.

Last week, Police Chief Jorge Hernández Valencia reported that the mayor has created a new unit of the Municipal Police called the 'Civic Link Unit' whose objective is to patrol neighborhoods, with sector coordinators, representatives of neighborhood associations and ordinary citizens, to establish public safety priorities.

Hernández Valencia said that this undertaking is part of the follow-up to Mayor Arturo Dávalos' instructions to provide citizens with better security through a police force that cares about, and takes care of, what happens in the colonias they patrol.

He explained that the police officers of this special unit will hold integrated meetings focused on strengthening communication channels with the community and achieving better crime prevention in each area by working in conjunction with and involving educational institutions, businesses, neighborhood associations and social organizations.

This unit will be made up of four duly uniformed officers, who will bring forms that allow citizens to make petitions or report irregularities that have to do with public safety. On the same day these forms will be channeled to the police station's analysis department. From there, instructions will be given to officers in the operational area so the matter can be promptly attended to and resolved.

Hernández Valencia asserted that the goal is to improve social proximity, since the staff of this unit is instructed to link citizens and neighborhood associations with the police coordinators, while being a tool to establish contact and improve safety.