Mexico City, August 15 (teleSUR-RHC)-- At least nine out of 10 young Mexicans say they distrust police officers, according to government figures released this week.    

The report, titled Social Cohesion Survey for the Prevention of Violence and Crime (Ecopred), found that 90 percent of young people between 12 and 19 believe Mexican police forces are corrupt or in collusion with criminal groups.  

The findings were released by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) after the government body surveyed just under 100,000 Mexican homes spread over 47 cities in 32 states.

The report also indicated that among those young individuals who were surveyed, 71.6 percent said they had at least one “risk factor,” meaning they had been victim of at least one crime – but less than half of them had actually reported the crime to their local police. 
     
These figures highlight the immense distrust young generations have of officials and the feelings of insecurity they live with.

The report also implies that this feeling of insecurity is justified, showing that in 2014 alone there were some 19 million 800 thousand crimes and aggressions committed against youth in Mexico. Among the most common crimes include, petty theft, harassment, physical abuse, threats, sexual assault, defamation and extortion.

As a result, 12 percent of young people surveyed also admitted to having criminal experience themselves, including illegally carrying a weapon, using illicit drugs, committing acts of vandalism, or joining a local gang. 

The survey was a government initiative by the Ministry of Interior (Segob), which is expected to serve as a basis for the implementation of crime prevention programs for youth across the country. However, since the released of the report Tuesday no programs or initiatives have yet been announced.  

According to youth who responded to the survey, only 15.9 percent of them participate in local groups or programs, the vast majority of which are sports or religious activities. The rest said they do not participate in such programs because they do not exist in their neighborhoods.