Crime in Costa Rica. Murders down 18 per cent in first five months of 2011

According to an article published today in La Nacion, the number of homicides in Costa Rica has fallen in the first five months of this year by 18 percent compared to the same period of 2010.

The Costa Rican Office of Plans and Operations (OPO) of the Judicial Police reports that from January to May this year there were 173 homicides, and during the same period in 2010 the number was 204, which is down 31 homicides.

Jorge Rojas, director of Costa Rica’s investigative branch – the Organismo de Investigación Judicial – OIJ remarked that the decline is not a large one, recalling that homicide rates in 2009 and 2010 were around 11 cases per 100,000 population and the goal is to get that number down below 7.

He says the decline is an important one, but it doesn’t mean the issue is resolved. In 2010 there were 486 homicides attended by the OIJ.

The province with the largest number of homicides continues to be San Jose, which accounts for about 40 percent of the cases, followed by Limon, with 23 percent. 15 percent took place in Puntarenas, Alajuela, 9 percent, 5 percent in Heredia with Cartago and Guanacaste at 4 percent each.

Jose Mena, Assistant Prosecutor for Crimes Against Life, said that while San Jose generates the highest number of homicides, 74 percent of the investigations lead to a conviction in this province.

According to court statistics, of the 173 homicides between January and May, 54 had no apparent motive when reported. Which means 32 percent of these crimes had no clear cause, however as investigations continue in each case, it was determined that revenge was the main motive to kill someone according to Rojas.

Many homicides are for revenge, people are solving their problems with homicides and this shows the violence that exists, commented Rojas. According to the EPO, 3 out of 10 homicides begin as arguments or quarrels.

Additionally, 2 out of 10 cases occurred while committing other crimes such as assaults, and researchers have determined that in the first five months of the year there were 12 cases of police officers or citizens who killed another person to defend themselves from attacks by criminals.

January was the month with the highest number of homicides at 47 and April had the lowest murder rate.

Our thanks to our friends at La Nación – Costa Rica’s largest and most influential Spanish circulation newspaper for their permission to summarize their articles.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.