The increase of violence in recent years makes Luis Guillermo Solís deal with the bloodiest statistics of the last three governments.
The explosive increase in murders knocked over the intentions of the 2015-2018 National Development Plan, which sought a rate of 7.5 per 100,000 inhabitants by 2017 (OIJ now estimates a rate of 12, surpassing Nicaragua and Panama).
The bet by Solís administration has come down since last year: it anticipated a rate of 8, but ended with levels of 11.8 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
None of the previous presidents had such a complex picture in this area. For example, Óscar Arias (2006-2010) registered 1,232 intentional homicides in its first 3 years of government, while Laura Chinchilla (2010-2014) had 1,408 cases. Solís’ administration has seen 1,611.
If a year-on-year comparison is made, the worst figure belongs to Arias: from 2007 to 2008 there was an increase of 143 cases. But the second least favorable indicator is for Solís: an increase of 80 cases between 2014 and 2015.
The administration that had the most favorable results was that of Chinchilla, since it managed to reduce homicides in 127 cases between 2010 and 2012.
According to Gerardo Castaing, criminologist and judicial police, it is undeniable that the country lives historic levels of violence, caused by drug trafficking and social decomposition.
Castaing says it is not a matter of political dyes, but an integral vision of the State.
The judges are not being strict in the application of convictions, the Legislative Assembly is not being effective in the process of controlling crime through laws, and the Executive Branch is not doing the job it should be doing,”
explained the expert.
A study by the OIJ with data from 2016 indicates that 30% of the murders were due to drug trafficking.
That’s a lot. We speak of a country that, although it is in one of the most violent areas of the planet, has civil tradition that allows us to live with quite favorable numbers. It is a very high and very bad number of homicides. Almost two homicides a day,”
said Soto in an interview.
As blood continues to flow in the streets, a comprehensive solution is more than urgent.