Mexican Children Join Volunteer Police Force to Combat Organized Crime

Children as young as 12 in Mexico have been recruited by a volunteer police force to combat organized crime in the Guerrero state, where authorities are overwhelmed by kidnappings. The children, seen wielding rifles in photos, are reinforcing the volunteer police force protecting their village of Ayahualtempa, which has a population of about 700. This comes as Mexican authorities crack down on surging crime in the popular tourist destination of Tulum, adding 30 members of the Mexican Navy to the existing law enforcement presence.