Working for both sides: how organised crime networks influence Mexican police culture

Abstract

ABSTRACT It is now established that elements in policing bodies’ socio-political environments influence officers’ beliefs, values, and attitudes. Paradoxically, however, the prevailing view within mainstream research is that police communities are also inward-facing entities that are withdrawn from the cultural context outside their realm. One limitation of this perspective is that it precludes researchers from examining how entities from this ‘outer world’ intermingle with policing bodies as well as how this interaction impacts upon manifestations of police culture. In Mexico criminal and police networks appear to be highly interconnected. Indeed, numerous members of Mexico’s law enforcement institutions are active participants in the web-like ties that connect individuals involved in the country’s criminal enterprises. By analysing the narratives of former members of Mexico’s Federal Police, I contend that officers’ perceptions of the intermingling between police and organised crime networks shape the culture of law-enforcement groups tasked with combating organised crime.