Playa del Carmen Rights Commission to Follow Up on Canadian Tourist’s Extortion Complaint Against Police

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The Playa del Carmen city council’s human rights commission said it will follow up on a complaint from a Canadian tourist who accuses municipal Public Security Department (SSC) officers of extorting him inside the department’s holding cells.

The decision came after the case spread on social media and prompted questions about police conduct in a destination where the image projected to foreign visitors is critical to the local economy.

Danna Ramírez Saldaña, the city’s tenth councilwoman and chair of the human rights commission, said in an interview that the tourist must file a formal complaint with the department’s Internal Affairs unit before the allegations can be investigated.

Officials to request case details

Ramírez Saldaña said she will monitor the case and request information on any proceedings opened, citing the potential damage that complaints of this kind can do to Playa del Carmen’s reputation as a tourist destination.

The councilwoman acknowledged that other residents have raised complaints about alleged abuse, harassment and searches by police officers that did not comply with regulations or respect human rights.

She urged victims of misconduct to report it and to follow up on their cases, and called on public servants to treat residents and visitors properly while the commission monitors the conduct of the agencies involved.