Rising crime in Costa Rica
Unfortunately this is a tune we have been hearing about for some time from our neighbors to the west. Crime is on the rise here in Panama as well, but because Costa Rica has 10 times the number of tourist and the number of tourist related crimes are significantly higher. From the perspective of the criminal the pickings are easier in Costa Rica than Panama for now. In this story from Jane's they focus more on the high profile crimes involving drug dealers, but I hear of many crimes against residential tourist in Costa Rica. Thus far in Panama most of the crimes are burglaries when the owners are not home. Relatively speaking you are safer in either country than most cities in the U.S., but it still behooves us to take precautions and not act as though we are in a paradise where it won't happen to you.
Renowned for being one of the safest countries in Central America, Costa Rica is beginning to suffer from increasing rates of violent crime and murder. An April 2008 opinion poll indicated that Costa Ricans view insecurity as the most important issue facing the government, even above the rising cost of living.
Crime rates are still low on a comparative basis; in 2007 the murder rate was 6.6 murders per 100,000, the lowest in Central America. However, violent crime is rising more rapidly, with the government stating in early 2008 that robbery rates have risen by 700 per cent since 1990, while drug-related crime is up 280 per cent in the same period. Moreover, crime is becoming more visible; the execution-style killing of five Panamanians in Costa Rica in January 2008 sparked widespread concern about the impact of drugs trafficking on crime rates in the country. Indeed, the police stated that the murders reflected a growing trend for contract killings connected to the drugs trade.
Read the rest of the story at Jane's
