Crime in Venezuela
Venezuela is among the most violent places of Latin America. Class tension has long been a part of life in the South American country, where armed robberies, carjackings and kidnappings are frequent. In 2009, the homicide rate was approximately 57 per 100,000, one of the world’s highest, having tripled in the previous decade.[1] The capital Caracas has the sixth greatest homicide rate of any large city in the world, with 98.7 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2011.[2]
Crime rates are higher in 'barrios' or 'ranchos' (slum areas) after dark. Petty crime such as pick-pocketing is prevalent, particularly on public transport in Caracas. The government in 2009 created a security force, the Bolivarian National Police, which hasn't lowered crime rates in the areas in which it is so far deployed, and a new Experimental Security University.[3]
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Crime dynamics [edit]
Drug trade [edit]
Venezuela is a significant route for drug trafficking, with Colombian cocaine and other drugs transiting Venezuela towards the United States and Europe. Venezuela ranks fourth in the world for cocaine seizures, behind Colombia, the United States, and Panama.[4]
Murder rate [edit]
In 2009, the homicide rate was approximately 57 per 100,000, one of the world’s highest, having trebled in the previous decade (according to The Economist).[5] The capital Caracas has the sixth greatest homicide rate of any large city in the world, with 98,7 homicides per 100,000 residents.[6] There have been 118,541 homicides in Venezuela between 1999 and 2010.[7] In 2008, polls indicated that crime was the number one concern of voters.[8]
Corruption [edit]
Corruption in Venezuela is high by world standards, and was so for much of the 20th century. The discovery of oil had worsened political corruption,[9] and by the late 1970s, Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso's description of oil as "the Devil's excrement" had become a common expression in Venezuela.[10] Venezuela has been ranked one of the most corrupt countries on the Corruption Perceptions Index since the survey started in 1995. The 2010 ranking placed Venezuela at number 164, out of 178 ranked countries.[11]
See also [edit]
General:
References [edit]
- ^ "Crime in Venezuela: Shooting the messenger". The Economist. 2010-08-18. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ^ El Pais retrieved 03.Nov.2009: "96 homicidios por cada 100.000 habitantes"
- ^ Simon Romero. "Venezuela more deadly than Iraq". New York Times. August 24, 2010
- ^ United Nations, World Drug Report 2010 Statistical Annex: Drug seizures
- ^ "Crime in Venezuela: Shooting the messenger". 18 August 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010. Text " The Economist " ignored (help)
- ^ El Pais retrieved 03.Nov.2009: "96 homicidios por cada 100.000 habitantes"
- ^ "Venezuela, More Deadly Than Iraq, Wonders Why". The New York Times. 22 August 2010.
- ^ "Crime threatens Chavez vote in Venezuela slums | Reuters". Uk.reuters.com. 14 November 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- ^ From 1917, "greater awareness of the country's oil potential had the pernicious effect of increasing the corruption and intrigue amongst Gomez's family and entourage, the consequences of which would be felt up to 1935 – B. S. McBeth (2002), Juan Vicente Gómez and the Oil Companies in Venezuela, 1908–1935, Cambridge University Press, p17.
- ^ "The perception of petroleum as the cause of Venezuela's corruption had become widespread during this period." – Coronil, F. (1988), The magical state: nature, money, and modernity in Venezuela, p353
- ^ El Universal, 21 January 2011, The truth of Pdval
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