Costa Rica reported 656 homicides in 2022, the highest number since these crimes were recorded in that country, according to the final report of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ).
This total represented an increase of 68 more cases than in 2021, when there were 588, equivalent to 11.56% growth.
Faced with this scenario, Costa Rican government officials recently declared that strategies to strengthen security should be reconsidered, including turning to the model implemented by El Salvador.
In addition, the OIJ data indicates that the homicide rate the previous year was 12.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, a new absolute record in Costa Rica, well above the 12.1 per 100,000 inhabitants registered in 2017 and even higher than the 11.4 per 100,000 inhabitants accounted for in 2021.
Of all the murders the previous year, the OIJ indicates that 92.68% of the victims were men, while by geographical area, the province of Limón presented the greatest number of such events, with 168, followed by San José (118) and Puntarenas (111).
Regarding the most violent months in 2022, the OIJ mentions October, with 68 cases, and December (67), while those with the lowest levels were March (45) and September (46).
RETHINK STRATEGIES
Michael Soto, deputy director of the OIJ, insisted on rethinking the strategies to deal with homicides, considering that the solution must be integral to society and not just a police issue, because multiple factors affect violence.
Given the high levels of insecurity that the nation presents, the Minister of Security, Jorge Torres, assured that implementing the policy of the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, in his country, could be a great option to reduce these negative figures that have tormented and afraid of citizens.
“You have to make a call […] A security issue like the one President Bukele has would be great to lower the homicide rate. We have to be clear at what moment of security we are at,” the public official told local media at a press conference.
Along these lines, David Segura, a representative of the New Republic, considered that Costa Rica should reflect on whether to apply a heavy-handed model, similar to the one used by Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, in his country to stop gangs and other criminals.
And it is that “if Costa Rica does not do something to stop the violence on our coasts and rural areas, and in the poor neighborhoods of the Central Valley, crime will get out of control,” the legislator asserts.
“Nayib Bukele’s system works, with a strong hand against drug traffickers and criminals. It is no coincidence that El Salvador has many days without homicides (…) It is urgent that we resolve this and it is urgent that the government of the Republic, the Legislative Assembly and the Judiciary sit down to discuss how to stop this dangerous spiral of violence,, said Segura.
MIXED OPINIONS
Since the emergency regime was declared in late March in El Salvador, more than 60,000 people have been arrested for alleged links to criminal organizations, prompting humanitarian groups to question the methods of the Bukele government. In contrast, for many Salvadorans, these operations do not cause concern.
75.9% of Salvadorans approve of the emergency regime, and nine out of 10 Salvadorans say that crime “has decreased” with Bukele’s policy, according to a survey by the Central American University (UCA) published in October.
However, his policy has been the subject of strong criticism from human rights defenders, who have questioned the methods of the Salvadoran president.
SURPRISE VISIT
The Government of Costa Rica confirmed, at the beginning of December 2022, the surprise and private visit of the President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele to the country.
The communication office of the Presidential House indicated in a text message to the media that the visit of President Nayib Bukele is “of a personal and private nature.”
“As the president of a nation, he is offered a security escort by the Government of Costa Rica, in accordance with the traditions between countries. President Bukele manages his own agenda in the country,” explained the Presidential House.
The Costa Rican government did not go into details about the days of the visit or whether Bukele met with the president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, or if he had some meeting with authorities of the country.
With information from Bloomberg