| Policía Federal Preventiva |
By Wim Sonneveld
The Policía Federal Preventiva (PFP) or federal police, was formed
out of the Policía Federal de Caminos y Puertos on December 13th,
1998. The PFP resides under the Secretaria de la Seguridad Publica
(SSP) and maintains its own aviation element reporting to the Dirreción
General de Apoyo Táctico y Operaciones Especiales (GOPES). Although
the main task of the air element is transportation of police forces
providing internal security, the element also operates helicopters
for patrolling tasks.
Initially, the PFP operated only a handful of light helicopters taken
over from the Policía Federal de Caminos. The acquisition of five
Mil Mi-8MTV-1 Hips from Russia in 2000 proved a major step forward.
Five EC120s and three AS350/355 Ecureuils were delivered in the same
year, performing patrol duties.
The year 2000 also counted for the expansion of the fixed wing fleet.
With just a couple of aircraft taken over from its predecessor, the
PFP required light aircraft for patrol duties, for which five Cessna
182s were obtained. Air transportation is provided by various bizjets,
turboprops and two CN-235s. To enable the force to carry large numbers
of troops to hotspots in the vast country, four Boeing 727s were taken
over from national carrier Mexicana in 2002.
Mexico City is the main base of the PFP's aviation element. Maintenance of all PFP aircraft (except at least for the Boeings and Hips) is carried out by the naval maintenance facilities at BAN Las Badajas. In July 2003, the PFP was forced to put up for sale most of it's older aviation equipment to rationalize logistics and operations.
With Mexico's new government taking office late 2006, the government's seal and new colours were applied to the PFP's aircraft.
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| Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) |
By Wim Sonneveld
Whereas internal security is the main task of the Policía Federal
Preventiva (PFP), the Procuraduria General de la República (attorney
general, PGR) represents the judicature of the republic. The main
concern of the PGR nowadays is the battle against organized crime
(mainly narcotics related). To fulfill this demanding task, the PGR
operates, among other assets, its own aviation element. Managed by
the Dirección General de Servicios Aéreos (DGAS), a function currently
hold by an air force general, the PGR operates a wide array
of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.
In December 2006, Mexico's new government took a hard stance against the drug-cartels. A major campaign was launched within days after the new president was sworn in. One of his first decisions was to increase the involvement of the armed forces in the battle against drugs. The most visible aspect for the aviation community will be the transfer of all poppy eradication operations to the armed forces. In April 2007, the transfer of five eradication bases and no less than eight Cessna 206s and fifty Bell 206s helicopters to the Fuerza Aérea Mexicana (air force) was almost complete, following a lull of six months in eradication efforts. The FAM will take care of the maintenance and operation of the entire eradication fleet. Re-registration of a number of aircraft takes place at BAM 5 Zapopan (JAL). Beside this move, many impounded aircraft without proper maintenance records have been put up for auction in recent years. Some of these can still be seen dumped at various PGR facilities as sees any use in these wrecks, except for local scrap dealer. The rationalization already caused the PGR to stop flying a few types, which have been operated for years, like Cessna twins, Commanders and Gulfstream Is.
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Photo: Avia Baltika
Photo: Sergio Komori de la Rosa, Mexican Air Spotters
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Fuerza Aérea Mexicana
FAM Order of Battle