Table of ContentsSummaryPublic Safety in Honduras: Obstacles and SolutionsGangsDrug TraffickingCorruptionPast Reforms and Why They Didn't WorkProposed ReformsConclusionSummaryThis document will provide the reader with an overview of some public safety challenges of a hypothetical newly elected The President of Honduras is confronted. The presence of transnational and local gangs, illegal drug trafficking and extremely high levels of corruption in all sectors of society are identified as major public safety concerns. The paper will analyze what drives local people to join gangs. It will also examine the role the country plays in illegal drug trafficking and explain the reasons behind it. The paper will review the corruption that affects all government institutions in the country and its effects on the community. Next, he will describe some failed attempts at system reform made by the previous administration to include the Military Public Order Police (PMOP) and the Mission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). This will explain why these reforms failed. Finally, the article will recommend practical solutions to the still existing problems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayPublic Safety in Honduras: Obstacles and SolutionsHonduras is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. According to the National Violence Observatory (NVO), the murder rate has declined slowly but steadily, from 86.5 per 100,000 people in 2011 to 59.0 per 100,000 people in 2016. This means that around 15 people were murdered per day in 2016. President-elect Mateo Copas, who is a populist, has always prioritized the needs of ordinary people. Mr. Copas firmly believes that citizen safety must be made its top priority. To resolve this problem, the new administration will face a number of challenges. We recognize street and transnational gangs, drug trafficking, and seriously corrupt institutions as the primary threats to public safety. Gangs High levels of poverty and lack of opportunities for young people create a favorable environment for street and transnational gangs, which are major contributors to violence. They are responsible for murder, extortion and kidnapping. The presence of transnational criminal organizations has led to an appalling transformation in the modes of violence used by “maras” street gangs. Subsequently, we witness an increase in massacres and brutalities. Gangs are now part of the daily life of the majority of the population. “Moreover, not only have cartels now infiltrated local and municipal governments, but they are also known to invest in public works, providing public services that the state is often unable to provide” (Ana-Constantina Kolb, 2012 , p. 215). This increases their popularity, making membership more attractive. As Lt. Col. Marco V. Barahona Fuentes said, drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) are using new youth gangs for their dirty work by supplying them with drugs, weapons and money. The average age of new members is 12 years: children are easy to recruit, train and cannot be prosecuted in the same way as adults. Drug trafficking Honduras plays an important strategic role in transnational drug trafficking. drug. "Honduras has a vast, largely sparsely populated territory, access to two oceans and three borders that would make it difficult tocontrol of any government". But this is not the only reason. As Steven Dudley (2010) describes, numerous armed conflicts in the country between 1960 and the mid-1990s laid the foundations for the illegal trafficking of goods to which we witness today. Over the years, drug trafficking has taken over the country Drug trafficking is seen by many as a way out of poverty The country has become the first stop for the majority of. cocaine transfers. Planes carrying cocaine from Venezuela and Colombia land undetected in an impromptu landing in remote areas, it is transported by sea and land Drug lords attempt to transform. Honduras into a producing state in order to save on the costs of shipping cocaine from other countries All of this indicates that illegal drug traffickers are continually adapting to a changing environment and seeking new opportunities. CorruptionCorruption has deeply penetrated all state institutions. The system itself was designed to support this. The lightest penalties for corruption allowed defendants to be easily released. Bribes have become commonplace in business. The country's police force is considered one of the most corrupt police forces in the region. “In addition to demanding bribes, passing information to criminal groups and allowing drug shipments to go unchecked, some Honduran police officers allegedly participated in, and even directed, violent criminal operations.” This increases public distrust of the police and government as a whole. Past Reforms and Why They Didn't Work The government implemented the "Iron Fist" strategy to discourage young Hondurans from joining gangs. Countless arrests were made on racial and class lines. However, this strategy proved to have a perverse effect on violence..., filling the region's prisons with easy recruits for gangs. This has also raised concerns about the violation of human rights. Certain constitutional reforms have been carried out. Congress amended Section 102 authorizing the extradition of criminals accused of terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime. For this law to work, corruption must first be eliminated. A corrupt criminal justice system can lead to unfair judgments and inappropriate convictions. It also shows the public that the government is choosing to give Honduran criminals the right to prosecute in the United States, instead of working to reform and reorganize its own systems. Militarizing the police was another reform attempted by the previous administration. The Military Public Order Police is the unit made up of soldiers deployed on the streets to fight crime. On the one hand, this demonstrates the government's desire to protect its citizens, but on the other, the government has violated the constitution by mixing the roles of the army and the police. Additionally, these soldiers do not receive enough training before being sent to the streets, which is why there are many reports of excessive use of force. In 2016, former President Hernández and the Organization of American States signed an agreement. forming the Mission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). Despite this, MACCIH faced multiple obstacles posed by the Honduran government. Mr. Hernandez's "allies worked to sabotage much of the panel's efforts, freezing bills aimed at protecting witnesses and blocking enforcement of new laws on.