If Costa Rica were a boxer, murders and violence would have it cornered; It would be near a powerful knockout and it would require more than courage to stand up.
This analogy fits perfectly with a country that got used to seeing murders in public places and executions in daylight.
It is not a stupid thing. 2016, just like 2015, is about to be the most violent year in Costa Rican history.
On December 19th, the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) recorded 555 homicides and with two weeks before the end of the year, 2016 is very likely to break last year’s record.
Michael Soto, head of the OIJ’s Office of Plans and Operations (OPO), said that there is a lot of concern within the judicial police. He warned that homicides would become a pandemic, with a rate of 11 or 12 per 100,000 inhabitants.
We are worried … There are very high rates, like those in Honduras and El Salvador. We are similar to Nicaragua or Panama, with 11 or 12 murders per 100,000 inhabitants,
declared the official.
The unstoppable rise of the murders is not only due to drug trafficking or organized crime: this year, several, multiple homicides were responsible for worsening the situation.