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Marisol Valles says she wants to remove some of the fear in the local community
A 20-year-old criminology student has been made police chief for a border town in one of the most violent regions in Mexico.
Marisol Valles got the job in Praxedis G Guerrero, in the northern state of Chihuahua, following an invitation from the mayor, Mexican media reported.
Chihuahua is the battleground for drugs cartels fighting over lucrative smuggling routes across the US border.
Asked if she feared for her safety, she replied: "Here everyone is frightened."
But she added: "We are going to exchange this fear for security."
Ms Valles has been studying criminology in the city of Ciudad Juarez, about 100km from Praxedis, which has seen more than 6,000 killings since 2008.
Now she has the title of director of municipal public security.
"Everyone is frightened - it is very natural," she told Mexican media.
"My motive for being here is that one can do a lot for the town and I know that we are going to make changes and get rid of a little of the fear in every person."
More than 28,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence since 2006, when the government deployed about 50,000 troops to combat the cartels.
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Marisol Valles says she wants to remove some of the fear in the local community A 20-year-old criminology student has been made police chief for a border town in one of the most violent regions in Mexico.
Marisol Valles got the job in Praxedis G Guerrero, in the northern state of Chihuahua, following an invitation from the mayor, Mexican media reported.
Chihuahua is the battleground for drugs cartels fighting over lucrative smuggling routes across the US border.
Asked if she feared for her safety, she replied: "Here everyone is frightened."
But she added: "We are going to exchange this fear for security."
Ms Valles has been studying criminology in the city of Ciudad Juarez, about 100km from Praxedis, which has seen more than 6,000 killings since 2008.
Now she has the title of director of municipal public security.
"Everyone is frightened - it is very natural," she told Mexican media.
"My motive for being here is that one can do a lot for the town and I know that we are going to make changes and get rid of a little of the fear in every person."
More than 28,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence since 2006, when the government deployed about 50,000 troops to combat the cartels.
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.