If the projections do not fail, this year will be – again – the most violent in Costa Rica’s history.
As of August 27th, 2016, 358 murders were reported, while in the same period in 2017 the figure was 390. That is, 32 more cases.
The data was provided by Álvaro González, head of the Homicide Section of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ).
During 2016, Costa Rica reported the record of homicides with 578 cases and a rate of 11.8 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants.
The projection of the OIJ is that the country might accumulate 600 homicides at the end of the year. Obviously, a figure never seen before and that apparently could be fulfilled, in the next four months.
The situation of violence has been aggravated by the multiple murders that have occurred in recent months. Among them is the crime of five young people in Liberia, the quintuple murder in La Cruz and triple homicides in Zarcero and Orotina.
At present, retaliation accounts for 42% of homicides. Of these, half (22%) are linked to local drug trafficking.