Venezuela: Murder Capital of the World

In the past 15 years, Venezuela has reached an alarming murder rate.

It is estimated that as many as 82 people are murdered for every 100,000. It cannot be denied that since Hugo Chavez took power, crime has skyrocketed in Venezuela, and it continues to rapidly rise under Nicholas Maduro. At first glance, one could easily blame the current economic situation for elevated murder rates, but the truth is that the issues go beyond that.

Reason # 1
Venezuela is one of the most weaponized countries in the world where it is estimated that there is one gun for every two people. Most of the guns are believed to be supplied by the Colombian guerrilla via the border. This continues to be the case even after the Venezuelan government launched a national campaign to encourage people the voluntarily surrender their firearms. As expected, most people in the country did no such thing. 

Reason # 2
In addition, the police force has its hands tied. Most police officers are making close to the minimum wage with very little back up and at times, no proper weapons. Since cops do not feel protected by the government, many of them get their protection from the criminals. By turning a blind eye to crime, these police officers are spared their life and their family's life. 
 
Reason # 3
Sadly, more than 90 percent of the murders in Venezuela go without an indictment. Since criminals know that crimes are seldom resolved, they feel that they have the liberty to roam the streets freely. Kidnappings in broad daylight have become a daily bread. Many of these kidnappers have connections with the police force. The system is simple: pay a ransom or your loved one gets killed. Most of these kidnappings occur in the capital and they usually target the middle class. The elite are usually not the main target because they can afford to have more security which makes it harder for a successful kidnapping to take place.

If the murder rate continues to rise, the government will soon have no choice, but to launch an initiative that actually addresses the real issues.