13% Say Being Victim of
Crime
One out of every five
Costa Ricans has had a
member of their family
become a victim of crime
during the past year and
13% of all residents
have personally suffered
some form of criminal
attack, according to the
Unimer poll for the
Spanish language daily,
La Nación.
The Unimer study was to
determine the impact of
insecurity in the
country.
The Unimer poll also
revealed that more than
one half (54% of the
respondents) favoured
the death penalty and
lynching and more than
one third (38%) would
give police the power
torture criminals, as
method to curb the rise
in crime.
The poll took in the
response of 1.220 people
between March 8 and 15
and shows that 13% of
residents have been
victim of a crime, the
majority being men and
between the ages of 25
and 29, those with
financially well off and
living in the Central
Valley.
The major impact of
crime has been felt most
in the urban areas like
the Gran Área
Metropolitana (GAM) -
the San José greater
metropolitan area.
The Unimer data is
backed up by the
statistics of the Poder
Judicial. In 2007,
authorities report
16.950 complaints for
robberies of homes and
businesses, 8.6% higher
than in 2006.
Assaults also rose by
11%, with some 8.620
cases reported in 2007
in contrast to 7.704 for
2006. Car thefts also
rose in 2007, with 904
cases reported, while
only 860 were reported
in 2006.
The statistics of the
Ministerio de Justicia
show that between 1990
and 2006 the crime rate
per 10.000 inhabitants
rose from 135 to 295.
Notwithstanding, Costa
Rica still have the
lowest murder rate in
the Central America -
7.2 murders per 10.000
inhabitants, though the
rate is 50% higher than
that of 1990. |
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