Cozumel Breaks Ground on Police Barracks to Double Force From 200 to 400 Officers

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa inspected construction of Cozumel’s new Public Security Barracks, a project officials say will double the island’s police force from 200 to 400 officers and strengthen security for residents and visitors.

Accompanied by municipal president José Luis Chacón, Lezama said during the site visit that one of the main obstacles to recruiting more officers is the difficulty police from other parts of the state face in finding housing on the island.

The new barracks will include on-site lodging, allowing officers assigned from other municipalities to stay on the island, take up their posts more easily and remain there. Lezama said the site will give officers decent conditions to do their jobs and improve the response capacity of security agencies.

Funded Through Cruise Port Trust

The governor said the project is being built through the Trust for the Wellbeing of People Living in Cruise Ports, in coordination with the cruise lines, so that the benefits of tourism translate into public works that improve residents’ quality of life.

The first phase consists of two two-story buildings housing command offices, operational and administrative areas, lodging, medical care, a dining hall, a gym, training classrooms, parking for patrol vehicles and new facilities for the Command and Control Center (C2).

Public Security Secretary Julio César Gómez Torres said the installations will be modern and functional, with appropriate spaces for training, preparation and rest.

Lezama said the barracks answers a demand Cozumel families have raised for years. She said her administration will keep working with President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and federal Security and Citizen Protection Secretary Omar García Harfuch to strengthen security on the island and turn tourism success into wellbeing for local residents.