Mexico City Is the Most Video-Surveilled Metropolis in the Americas
“What is recommended is that when something happens, they open the file and ask for the video evidence the next day, because [without an investigation file] they will not be able to access this information,” says Salvador Guerrero Chiprés, general coordinator of C5 CDMX.
In fact, he said they receive about 160 requests a day from people asking for the C5 recordings to be presented as evidence in court.
In other words, if on average 640 investigation files are opened every day in Mexico City (232,476 per year, according to data from the 2024 National Census of the State and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office), 25% of them have as proof a recording from government cameras.
Although Mexico City’s video surveillance system is a tool to prevent and punish crimes, the city still has the highest crime rate in the country, with 54,473 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. In a 2025 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, 75.6% of residents reported feeling unsafe.
“Inhibition and prosecution of crime are complementary… All the world literature indicates it, all the data from all the public security secretariats in the world indicate it, and in the case of Mexico City it is also evident that there is more citizen trust when there are more cameras, whether public or private,” says Guerrero Chiprés.
Even though the country’s capital is the most heavily monitored city on the continent, there is still a lot of territory to cover. Data shared by the C5 manager reveals that only a third of the city is covered by these cameras.
“This doesn’t happen anywhere in the world [that there is surveillance in 100 percent of public spaces]”, says Guerrero Chiprés. “That’s why there must be a contribution from the whole community. If the community does not participate with its own cameras and also with its civic vision, [security] “It’s impossible, because there are over 63,000 blocks in the city and we’re on 20,000.”
Enter the Spy Bunker
Strategically located in the busiest areas with the highest crime rates, the video surveillance cameras operate from Mexico City’s Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Citizen Contact Center (C5 CDMX), a bunker that operates 24/7, and where representatives from 29 federal and local agencies, such as the Mexican National Guard, Navy, Defense and Citizen security secretariats.
Although C5 is primarily known for video surveillance, this space brings together different means of following up on complaints from residents.
