Nearly 10 percent of Mexico’s Federal Police have been fired as part of President Felipe Calderon’s war on drugs, according to Reuters. Deputy Police Chief Facundo Rosas explained that 3,200 policemen were fired for failing to “carry out duties established in the federal police law”. The police department of Ciudad Juarez, one of the main centers of drug cartel related violence, has also seen the dismissal of 465 policemen, including it own Police Chief.

Where corruption is so ingrained in society, it is difficult to say whether these latest sackings will make a real difference. Some say it is worth trying. Others point out that 28,000 people have been killed in drug violence since Calderon’s war on drugs started in 2006, an escalation allegedly caused by disruption of existing drugs gangs and battles to take over new territories.

Trying to wipe out a $13 billion black market is difficult, some might say impossible. Whatever happens, the pressure is on President Calderon who has vowed to win the war against drug cartels by the end of his term in 2012.