Quintana Roo Security Chief Calls Playa del Carmen Shooting an ‘Isolated Incident’

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — The head of Quintana Roo’s Public Security Department, Julio César Gómez Torres, described a weekend armed attack on a seafood restaurant in Playa del Carmen as an isolated incident, rejecting concerns of rising insecurity in the state.

Gómez Torres said the state’s security strategy has been strengthened and is producing results, noting that other municipalities such as Tulum have gone several weeks without reports of high-impact crimes. He credited inter-institutional cooperation for helping restore calm and reduce crime rates.

“These are isolated events. Of course, they must be investigated, and the institutions are contributing with the Prosecutor’s Office as required to find the alleged perpetrators, and we will surely find them,” Gómez Torres said. “These are isolated events because security in the state has been strengthened. We review what happens every day, from accidents to protests, to address all aspects that affect security in a timely manner, and with that we make decisions to make Quintana Roo safer.”

He said weekly meetings are held in all municipalities to evaluate security progress and define operations and surveillance with support from the National Guard, the Mexican Army, and the Mexican Navy. He emphasized that community outreach efforts, including door-to-door visits, have helped prevent crime from spiking due to increased police presence.

Regarding security operations during Fun Fest events in Chetumal, Bacalar, Tulum, Cancún, Isla Mujeres, and Cozumel, Gómez Torres reported a clean record with no incidents.

“So far everything is going excellently, the balance is completely clean. The first day, which was the opening match, the weather was a bit unstable, but there was a large turnout at the venues. Thanks to inter-institutional coordination that guarantees security inside and outside the venues to prevent smash-and-grab thefts or robberies, we have rehearsed and practiced scenarios that could occur in the context of mass events, and the truth is everything is going perfectly well,” he said.

He highlighted that citizens have followed all recommendations for accessing the events, and that alcohol consumption is not allowed at the designated match broadcast sites, which has been a key factor in preventing any incidents.