Venezuela murder-rate quadrupled under Chavez

[CARLHAYDEN]

Venezuela murder-rate quadrupled under Chavez -NGO 11 Mar 2010 17:49:08 GMT
Source: Reuters


CARACAS, March 11 (Reuters) - Homicides in Venezuela have quadrupled during President Hugo Chavez's 11 years in power, with two people murdered every hour, according to new figures from a non-governmental organization.

The Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), whose data is widely followed in the absence of official statistics, said the South American nation has one of the highest crime rates on the continent, with 54 homicides per 100,000 citizens in 2009.

That rate is only surpassed in Latin America by El Salvador where 70 in every 100,000 citizens were murdered last year, the OVV said, citing official statistics from that country.

Crime repeatedly comes first on Venezuelans' list of worries. It has also begun to drag on Chavez's traditionally high approval ratings as well as scare tourists who come to Venezuela.

"The problem is not so much the criminals, but rather the government's inaction and lack of policies," OVV director Roberto Briceno Leon told Reuters.

Chavez says he is doing his best to combat crime, which he blames on wealth inequalities caused by former governments.

He accuses foes of exaggerating the problem to foment fear, and has recently hiked pay for police officers, as well as launching a new national force.

The Interior Ministry, which last gave official crime statistics in 2004, declined comment on the OVV's new figures.

Briceno, a criminology professor at the Central University of Venezuela and at the Sorbonne in Paris, blamed a weak judicial system and ineffective and corrupt policing in Venezuela, where he said 91 percent of crimes go unsolved.

He collates his figures from police sources and media reports. When Chavez came to power in 1999 there were 4,550 homicides whereas in 2009 there were 16,047, the OVV said.

That means Venezuela experiences every month about as many deaths as occurred in the Gaza Strip during Israel's early 2009 offensive, Briceno said.

With a murder rate of 140 per 100,000 citizens, Venezuela's capital Caracas has the highest murder rate in South America, only exceeded in the hemisphere by Mexico's Ciudad Juarez.

Most of the deaths occur in crowded slums, but crime impinges on all sectors. In richer residential areas at night, cars shoot through red lights on often deserted streets and few people are willing to risk walking outside. (Reporting by Eyanir Chinea; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

[John Dibble]

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Seriously, who does he think he's fooling at this point? He's had 11 years to correct those inequalities he rambles about, and somehow it's still the previous government's fault.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I hope Sean Penn and Danny Glover don't find out.

[Bo]

How about they vote Chavez out next election? If only the U.S. was smarter in executing its 2002 coup in Venezuela.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

[Tender Branson]

On the other side, Austria`s homicide rate has dropped to record-lows:

In 2008 (last year available), there were 43 completed homicides and 58 homicide attempts, for a total of 101 homicide crimes. This number is so far the lowest in this decade, the average was 150-160 cases of homicide crimes, with the average of about 60 completed murders. In every year since 2000, more than 90% of homicides have been solved by the police.

From Jan. to June of 2009, 17 completed homicides took place in Austria (again a record low), but the number of attempts rose from 24 to 56 (which is still in line with the historical average). 93% of homicide cases were solved. Nearly half of all homicides take place in Vienna, even though only 1/5 of Austria lives in Vienna. About 1/3 of homicides are committed by foreigners, even though they only make up 10% of the population. Only 10% of homicides are committed with a gun, but 40% with a knife.

Austria has a population of 8.4 Mio. people.

That gives us a rate of 0.5 homicides per 100.000 people, which is about 10-times lower than the US average.

http://www.bmi.gv.at/cms/cs03documentsbmi/728.pdf

[Lief 🗽]

Which of Chavez's policies have caused this, Carl?

[Marokai Backbeat]

Socialism leads to murders, duh.

[© tweed]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Seriously, who does he think he's fooling at this point? He's had 11 years to correct those inequalities he rambles about, and somehow it's still the previous government's fault.

eleven years of pseudo-state socialism cannot undo 500 years of structural inequality.

[dead0man]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Seriously, who does he think he's fooling at this point? He's had 11 years to correct those inequalities he rambles about, and somehow it's still the previous government's fault.

eleven years of pseudo-state socialism cannot undo 500 years of structural inequality.

You may have missed the "quadrupled" part.  If you didn't miss it and are  just ignoring it, please ignore this post as well.

[© tweed]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Seriously, who does he think he's fooling at this point? He's had 11 years to correct those inequalities he rambles about, and somehow it's still the previous government's fault.

eleven years of pseudo-state socialism cannot undo 500 years of structural inequality.

You may have missed the "quadrupled" part.  If you didn't miss it and are  just ignoring it, please ignore this post as well.

I'd probably refer you to reply #4

[dead0man]

Well, maybe.

[John Dibble]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Seriously, who does he think he's fooling at this point? He's had 11 years to correct those inequalities he rambles about, and somehow it's still the previous government's fault.

eleven years of pseudo-state socialism cannot undo 500 years of structural inequality.

You may have missed the "quadrupled" part.  If you didn't miss it and are  just ignoring it, please ignore this post as well.

I'd probably refer you to reply #4

Sure, correlation does not equal causation. But if Chavez's massive mismanagement of his nation hasn't contributed to this rise in crime then what has?