Data prior to 2022 were retrieved from previous releases of the publication. [39], In 2009, it was reported that Venezuelan authorities would assign judicial police to Caracas area morgues to speak with families. [100], According to some sources, Venezuela's corruption includes widespread corruption in the police force. The violent crime of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter increased 0.3 percent in 2019 when compared with the 2018 . Venezuela has a high crime rate. The criminal threat level is considered critical for the capital city of Caracas and all of Venezuela. According to United Nations, the homicides rate in Venezuela was 53.7 murders per 100,000 persons in 2012; that's higher than figures for many other Latin American countries, including Colombia . This overview of Venezuela's criminal justice system encompasses political and legal systems, the nature and extent of crime, victims, law enforcement, the prosecutorial and judicial process, the judicial system, penalties and sentencing, the prison system, and extradition and treaties. Human rights groups suggest that the government's policing efforts are too "timid". Violent crime is rife in both the capital Caracas and the interior, and as a foreigner you are a prime target. Published by Teresa Romero , Apr 21, 2022. Police in Venezuela make arrests for only eight of every 100 murders . [96], Corruption in Venezuela is high by world standards, and has been for much of the 20th century. In 2011, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States denounced the practice of "The Coliseum" saying "The Commission reiterates to the State the need to take immediate and effective steps to prevent such incidents from happening again" after two inmates died and 54 more were injured from these practices. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Backlinks from other websites and blogs are the lifeblood of our site and are our primary source of new traffic. }, Page last modified:
10. [29] A non-governmental organization known as the Venezuelan Violence Observatory (OVV), which collects crime data from seven different universities around the country, provides data of homicide rates in Venezuela. The Venezuelan Observatory on Violence (VOV) reported a 14 percent increase in violent crimes from 2012 to 2013. [29] In 2015, the OVV's murder rate data showed an increase of the rate to 90 per 100,000 with an estimated 27,878 Venezuelans murdered adding up to nearly 20% of murders in the Latin American region. [40][41] It was also reported that police would intercept the families of the victims and take them to the library of the University Institute of the Scientific Police (IUPOLC) where authorities offered families ways to "streamline procedures and advise them not to give information to the press in return for their aid". The murder rate in Venezuela, one of the world's highest-crime countries, dipped in 2018 as some criminals apparently joined millions of law-abiding compatriots in leaving the crisis-stricken . [46] Since the local police are not trusted by Venezuelans, kidnappings are usually not reported and cannot be combated by the authorities. [22], Venezuela is especially dangerous toward foreign travelers and investors who are visiting. Its 2018 report, based on input from . the country has a murder rate of about 67 per 100,000 inhabitants. They occur when criminals force their victims to extract cash from ATM machines or to make purchases with the victims credit cards until the card is shut off. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set [75][76][77], There was little history of organized crime in Venezuela until the start of the Bolivarian Revolution. All of this is done while driving the victim around the city for several hours. Qatar has the lowest crime rate in the world, followed by the UAE, according to Numbeo statistics. While the police will generally respond to an emergency situation, investigative follow-up is intermittent and perpetrators of crime are rarely caught. [50] In Venezuela's prisons, inmates will use "telemarketing" strategies, creating fear in individuals so that they will pay before possibly being kidnapped. Economic Indicators for Venezuela including actual values, historical data, and latest data updates for the Venezuela economy. Colectivos are thought to be partially responsible for the increase in the Venezuelan murder rate, according to the Metropolitan Observatory on Citizen Security. In some cases, crime has grown so pervasive in Venezuela that the military is ordered to avoid public places during nighttime hours since criminals often attempt to steal their weapons, with robberies in the country often targeting unaware individuals using a kill first, steal later method. [41], In 2011, the Venezuelan government's statistics reported an average of two kidnappings per day, while other estimates showed 50 kidnappings per day. The penalty for illegally selling or carrying a firearm is a prison sentence of up to 20 years. [15] The U.S. Bureau of Diplomatic Security stated that there were 73 daily violent deaths in 2018. lack of economic opportunities, steep inflation, a high crime rate, and corruption. [51][52] Most kidnapping victims are released after a ransom is paid, but in 2016, at least 18 kidnapped people were killed. Crime rates in Venezuela. Even the government's official statistics show that 1,050 kidnappings were reported this year through October - which is 23 times more than number recorded when Hugo Chvez was elected 13 years ago . According to the VVO, a rate of 122 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in . The discovery of oil worsened political corruption,[98] and by the late 1970s, Juan Pablo Prez Alfonso's description of oil as "the Devil's excrement" became a common expression in Venezuela. This left police across the country vastly out-gunned by narcotraffickers and other criminal groups. [78] In 2013, the government negotiated with large criminal gangs on how to prevent violence and agreed to avoid policing gang territory in what were known as "peace zones", reinforcing criminal behaviors and making gang practices de facto law. [107] Petty crime such as pick-pocketing is prevalent, particularly in public transport terminals in Caracas. Food Shortages are Common. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Venezuela has been in an economic crisis since the election of Hugo Chavez in 1998 when the country's oil-based socialist economy began to rapidly decline. [25] The New Yorker reporter found that even stairwells in a public hospital were not safe from robbers, who preyed on staff and patients despite the large number of security forces guarding the hospital, saying this was because the police were assigned to contain journalists who might embarrass the government with exposs on the state of the hospital; they were not assigned to protect its occupants. [5] In 1994, when Rafael Caldera became president, he attempted to strengthen Venezuela's "institution", staying in the center of political issues, performing both conservative and reformative actions that resulted in the increase of the murder rate stopping; though his popularity and the public's trust in the political system decreased.[5]. Rates of crime rapidly began to increase during the presidency of Hugo Chvez due to the institutional instability of his Bolivarian government, underfunding of police resources, and severe inequality. Belize - 37.79. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. Because groups that specialize in these types of crimes operate with impunity or fear of incarceration, more entrepreneurial criminals hit the streets. . In the year 2000, the rate was only 58 per 100,000 people. [45], False or "virtual" kidnappings are also used in Venezuela. Accessed March 04, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/984669/homicide-rate-venezuela/, InSight Crime. [16], According to Sanjuan, 95% of Venezuela's homicide victims are men with 69% of them being between ages 15 and 34. [18] In 2000, the homicide rate for young men was 225 per 100,000. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. Venezuela Crime Profiles (Subcategories) Fear of crime 9: Smuggling of migrants 4: Perceived problems 4: Suicide rates 3: Prisoners 4: Violent crime 6: Punishment 6: Venezuela categories. Caracas, Venezuela reputedly has a murder rate over 100 per 100,000. [19] The Chvez government banned private gun ownership in 2012[20][21] but overall crime rate has kept increasing since. [65], Two nephews of Maduro's wife Cilia Flores, Efran Antonio Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas, were involved in the narcosobrinos incident and found guilty for their alleged involvement in illicit activities such as drug trafficking in November 2016, with some of their funds possibly assisting President Maduro's presidential campaign in the 2013 Venezuelan presidential election and potentially for the 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary elections, with the funds mainly used to "help their family stay in power". Crime in Venezuela can be attributed to several factors; poverty, retribution, drugs, gangs, and politics. The police allegedly collaborated with the robbers, receiving a cut of what they stole. Express kidnappings (secuestro express) have become more common than traditional kidnappings. So it doesn't matter what the statistics are, are you with the government or are you not with the government. [83] According to ABC News, "it is widely believed that colectivos kill drug traffickers who do not obey their orders". Reports of armed robberies continue to occur regularly, day or night, in the affluent Caracas residential sections of Chacao, Baruta and El Hatillo. These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 3 years. In 2013, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) published the homicide report, and Venezuela was positioned as the second highest homicide rate in the world with a 1. [80] Despite the Venezuelan government's statements saying that only official authorities can carry weapons for the defense of Venezuela, colectivos are armed with automatic rifles such as AK-47s, submachine guns, fragmentation grenades, and tear gas. Due to the Venezuelan government not complying to the standards of stopping human trafficking, the State Department placed Venezuelan on its "black list" as a Tier 3 country, which opened the possibility of Venezuela facing sanctions. Venezuela ranks fourth in the world for cocaine seizures, behind Colombia, the United States, and Panama. [52], Many kidnappings are not reported to police in Venezuela since they are not trusted. [66][67] Due to the fact that the "sobrinos" (nephews in Spanish) of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were arrested for narcotics trafficking, the media described the nephews as the narcosobrinos. We have provided a few examples below that you can copy and paste to your site: Your data export is now complete. Some 5.5 million of an estimated 32 million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported in October. note 1: the country lies on major sea and air routes linking North and South America note 2: Venezuela has some of the most unique geology in the world; tepuis are massive table-top mountains of the western Guiana Highlands that tend to be isolated and thus support unique endemic plant and animal species; their sheer cliffsides account for some of the most spectacular . [49] News.com.au called Venezuela capital "the kidnap capital of the world" in 2013, noting that Venezuela had the highest kidnapping rate in the world and that 5 people were kidnapped for a ransom every day. Investigation of all crime is haphazard and ineffective. Over the last several years, Venezuela has become a pivotal player in the international drug trafficking game. According to the BBC article, 4 of 5 kidnappings are express kidnappings which are not included in government statistics. Varela was also known to be acquainted with El Conejo, as critic Carlos Nieto showed the reporter a photo of Varela with El Conejo on his bed. A lock ( [101] Many victims are afraid to report crimes to the police because most officers are involved with criminals and may bring even more harm to the victims. ", "Armed civilian bands in Venezuela prop up unpopular president", "Political Divisions Fuel Venezuela's Most Violent Year", "US pulls all staff from Venezuela as Maduro blames blackout on 'demonic' Trump plot", "Venezuela: Maduro calls on armed groups to keep order amid electricity rationing", "Venezuela's Maduro announces power rationing amid outages", "The World Is Getting More Corrupt, and These Are the 5 Worst Offenders", "Pro-Government Motorcycle Militias Terrorize Venezuela", "Venezuela: Police corruption blamed for kidnapping epidemic", "How videos of supermarket raids show what life is like in Venezuela", "Venezuelan city under effective curfew after mass looting", "Venezuelan soap star Monica Spear, ex-husband murdered", "German tourist, 76, shot dead on Venezuelan island", "La reforma policial en Venezuela, tarea inconclusa del chavismo", "Crmenes brutales en Venezuela: Ejecuciones extrajudiciales dejan ms de ocho mil muertos", "Hoy comienza el Plan Patria Segura: "La Fanb sale a la calle a proteger el pueblo" (+video)", "Colectivos le dicen NO al plan de desarme del gobierno bolivariano", "Former Miss Venezuela Murdered In Roadside Attack", "Diciembre fue el mes ms violento del 2014, 500 muertos solo en Caracas", "Denuncian aumento de homicidios en Zulia durante 2014", "Presin de colectivos incidi en salida de Rodrguez Torres", "Relanzado Plan Patria Segura este sbado en todo el territorio nacional (+Fotos)", "Caracas: Cabo Vadillo Temporada 1; Programa 2", "Corruption by Country / Territory: Venezuela", "La situacin de las crceles venezolanas es una tragedia, dice la ONU", "Violence eases at overcrowded Venezuelan jail", "OVP: Venezuela minti en Examen Peridico Universal de Derechos Humanos", http://prisonstudies.org/country/united-states-america, "De verdad, Iris Varela? Crime. Maria recalls a shift in the nature of the crimes as desperation fueled robberies with the threat of violence. Its murder rate is 41.2 homicides per 100,000 people, the fifth-highest in the world. [5] The rise of murders in Venezuela following the Chvez presidency has also been attributed by experts to the corruption of Venezuelan authorities, poor gun control and a poor judiciary system. 08-01-2021 14:08:00 ZULU. [22], Escalating violent crime, especially murder, had been called "perhaps the biggest concern" of Venezuelans during the nationwide crisis. 18 December 2020. [4][12] Most crime in Venezuela remains unpunished according to Venezuela's Prosecutor General's Office, as 98% of crimes in Venezuela do not result in prosecution. In 2009, there were record levels of murders (nearly 1,500), robberies (3,000), and kidnappings (99) reported to the Police in Miranda. [24], The U.S. Bureau of Diplomatic Security says most of the violence comes from organized street gangs, and attributes criminal activity to four factors: "often corrupt" underpaid police, an "inefficient and politicized judicial system", problems in the prison system, and widespread availability of weapons. [62][63][64] Aponte says that, while serving as a judge, he was forced to acquit an army commander who had connections with a 2 metric ton shipment of cocaine. Home invasions involve large groups of heavily armed criminals who take over houses or apartment complexes, and rob the owners or all the occupants. [48], Chvez's successor, Nicols Maduro, has also initiated programs trying to combat crime. As of 2022, the US Department of State recommends that Americans avoid traveling to Venezuela especially due to its high rate of violent crime such as homicide. While the government has refused to release its own statistics for years, a recent report by an NGO, the Venezuelan Observatory on Violence, estimates that 24,000 people were murdered in 2013 . [51][52] While it is against the law to pay a ransom, according to criminologists, at least 80% of kidnappings are not reported for fear of retaliation,[53] or because relatives prefer to negotiate, hoping the hostage will be released and fearing they will be killed if authorities are contacted. Under his administration, extrajudicial killings rose dramatically with over 8,000 Venezuelans being killed by state authorities between 2015 and 2017. Year. Only a very small percentage of criminals are tried and convicted. Level of crime: 93.11: Very High: Crime increasing in the past 3 years: 86.72: Very High: Worries home broken and things stolen: 76.20: High: Worries being mugged or robbed . Caracas continues to be notorious for the brazenness of certain high profile, violent crimes such as murder, robberies and kidnappings. Venezuela Crime Rate & Statistics 1990-2023, Venezuela crime rate & statistics for 2017 was, Venezuela crime rate & statistics for 2016 was, Venezuela crime rate & statistics for 2015 was, Venezuela crime rate & statistics for 2014 was. Official websites use .gov Traditional kidnappings also remain a security concern in Venezuela. The criticism follows attacks last year by Maduro on violent video games and the Hollywood movie "Spider-man." . In mid-2004 Venezuela's estimated population totaled 26.2 million, which would be a murder rate of 42 per 100,000. February 8, 2023. With a population of over 2.9 million inhabitants, the number of murders per 100,000 inhabitants in the greater Caracas area was 71. There is no evidence to indicate criminals and gang-related activities specifically target U.S. citizens. Some kidnap victims have been released after ransom payments, while others have been murdered. [143], However a year later, one "Coliseum" in Uribana left 2 dead and 128 injured. [130][dead link], Venezuelan prisons are led by "pranes" or criminal bosses that operate while jailed. Honduras had 41.7 homicides per 100,000 people in 2017. [92] According to the International Crisis Group, colectivos may be involved in drug trafficking, arms dealing, and car theft. Many people are victimized by crime because of fear and the perceived inability of Venezuela's criminal justice system to prevent crime. Over 90 percent of homicides in Venezuela go unpunished. Coronil, F. (1988), World Prison Brief (n/d). Police officers are authorized to use force, stop and apprehend suspects, and conduct searches and seizures. [Online]. Previously, huge shipments of cocaine leaving Colombia and destined for the U.S. were mostly relayed via Mexico on an Eastern Pacific route. [81] Chvez eliminated the Metropolitan Police in 2011, turning security over to the colectivos in some Caracas barrios. UNICEF reported that 6.9 million students in Venezuela missed almost all classroom instruction between March 2020 and February 2021. The majority of violent crimes in Venezuela take place in impoverished areas. ChartThe estimated rate of private gun ownership (both licit and illicit) per 100 people in Venezuela is 2017: 19.23 7 2010: 11.02 2005: 10.82 [63] On 15 February 2014, a commander for the Guard was stopped while driving to Valencia with his family and was arrested for having 554 kilos of cocaine in his possession. Profit from the additional features of your individual account. [146], In May 2020, inmates rioted at the Llanos Penitentiary Center in Guanare, leading to 40 deaths. Don't go expecting justice if you are a victim of crime - only a very small percentage of crimes result in trials and convictions. The elevated risk for local employees can be attributed to disparity between upscale expatriate neighborhoods and the rest of the city. Every Caracas neighborhood is susceptible to crime. [104] The Metropolitan Police force in Caracas was so corrupt that it was accused of assisting some of the 17,000 kidnappings. Listed rates only reflect crimes that have been reported to the authorities. [102][103] A 2013 Gallup study showed that only 26% of Venezuelans have faith in their local police. Chart. [85] Human Rights Watch described colectivos as "armed gangs who use violence with impunity" to harass political opponents of the Venezuelan government. An overview of the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, which has one of the highest crime rates, July 29, 2015. The report stated that 33% of kidnappings occurred in the capital city of Caracas and that hundreds of kidnappings happen every year. Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. [15] The murder rate declined even further to 60.3 in 2019. Lots of frustration, little hope. In the mid-1970s Lesotho witnessed a murder rate of 141 per 100,000, while more recently Columbia's murder rate was variously estimate at between 63 and 84 per 100,000. InSight Crime. [80] In 2006, they received arms and funding from the state when they were brought under the government's community councils. By the end of last year, prices were doubling . statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. Areas of Caracas suffer from extreme poverty which provides gangs and criminal elements with an environment that is conducive to crime. [131] In 2014, the UN called the state of the Venezuelan prison system "a tragedy". Lesotho (41.2 per 100,000) Lesotho is a small country found in southern Africa. Crime statistics indicate the crime rate rose from 700 per 100,000 population in 1972 to 1,300 per 100,000 population in 1990. . In the US, the crime rate is 47.70. A non-government organisation says Venezuela has the world's highest murder rate - many of them extrajudicial killings by police.And an elite special forces . Armed robbery, mugging, carjacking, and burglary are . Venezuela is a limited democratic federal republic, and the legal system is based on a civil model largely influenced by historical European dominance. [50], There is no reliable data on kidnapping in Venezuela and available data is considered an underestimate. Crime in Venezuela is widespread, with violent crimes such as murder and kidnapping increasing annually. [81] Some weapons given to the groups include assault rifles, submachine guns and grenades. [16], In the early-20th century, Venezuela was limited to violent crimes occurring in rural areas. San Pedro Sula, in the northwest of the country, is at the center of much of this small Central American country's violence. Chavez's public statements also serve to decriminalize delinquency, such as when he said that if he were as poor as many in Venezuela's vast slums, he too would commit crimes to help feed his family. While reported incidents of murder in Venezuela decreased slightly to almost 14,000, the number of reported murders in the State of Miranda (which encompasses the greater Caracas area) increased. [13][14], In spite of significant socioeconomic problems, the murder rate in Venezuela decreased between 2017 and 2020. More than 330 police officers were murdered across Venezuela last year, . [11] Crimes related to shortages and hunger increased shortly after with growing incidents of looting occurring throughout the country. VENEZUELA. When you have a functioning democracy and you have the opposition and the government in power, there's different solutions to problems; people debate, people discuss. Palast suggests that the "300" is supposedly a reference to "300 prisoners" (the number involved in a FARC prisoner exchange) and not "300 million", as Raul Reyes was one of the Farc's main negotiators for prisoner exchanges. [5] Chvez's government sought a cultural hegemony by promoting class conflict and social fragmentation, which in turn encouraged "criminal gangs to kill, kidnap, rob and extort". [137] Over 40 inmates were killed and an unknown number of guards and inmates were wounded during a May 2020 incident at Los Llanos jail near the city of Guanare. The Observatory placed Venezuela's homicide rate for 2014 at 82 per 100,000, with a total of 24,980 killings recorded for the year. The methods of accomplishing these tasks were through surveillance, checking documents, verification checkpoints and to help guide communities. From 1917, "greater awareness of the country's oil potential had the pernicious effect of increasing the corruption and intrigue amongst Gomez's family and entourage, the consequences of which would be felt up to 1935 B. S. McBeth (2002). Nigeria - 34.52. Venezuela: homicide rate 2020, by city. [57], Independent analyses of the documents by a number of U.S. academics and journalists have challenged the Colombian interpretation of the documents, accusing the Colombian government of exaggerating their contents. [50] According to Anthony Daqun, former adviser to the Minister of Interior and Justice of Venezuela, "[s]taff of the Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and SEBIN (Bolivarian National Intelligence Service) operate these bands kidnapping and extortion". Insight Crime attributes Venezuela's rise in violence to a range . [45], In leaked government INE data for kidnappings in the year 2009, the number of kidnappings were at an estimated 16,917, contrasting the CICPCs number of only 673,[43] before the Venezuelan government blocked the data. Crimes are classified according to crimes against national security, administration of justice, public order, public trust, preservation of public and private interests, the family and public morals, and civilian property. [40][41] At that time, they would advise families not to speak to report the murder of their family member to the media in exchange to have the process of recovering the victims body in an expedited manner. . (year, prison population total, prison population rate) Year . In an interview with Prison Minister Iris Varela, the minister explained how all prisons were under her control and that there was no anarchy. Citing government figures, a prominent opposition leader in Venezuela has said the country's impunity rate hovers at about 98 percent, an assertion that will likely feed rising perceptions of insecurity. In the areas where most kidnappings occur, the government set up so-called "peace zones" where official police withdrew and criminal gangs took over;[51] according to NBC News, "experts say the government has armed these groups [who] control large territories, financed through extortion and the drug trade". [1], While Venezuelans were suffering from shortages in Venezuela, the occasional looting of trucks full of goods became more common in the country with the robberies being committed by criminal gangs. By the end of 2019, there was an increase in the number of predatory crimes again as well as extortion by criminal elements and government officials. Many people are victimized by crime because of fear and the perceived inability of Venezuela's criminal justice system to prevent crime. * The figure refers to the violent death rate, which includes violent deaths in which the cause of death is unknown, as well as deadly confrontations involving security forces. In 2020, the country had a crime rate of 99.7 per 100,000 people. In 2009 reported kidnappings more than doubled from the previous year. [66][67][68] One informant stated that the two would often fly out of Terminal 4 of Simon Bolivar International Airport, a terminal reserved for the president. Level of crime: 22.96: Low: Crime increasing in the past 3 years: 20.71: Low: Worries home broken and things stolen: . Crime rates in Valenzuela, Philippines. United States of America. No figure for the country's homicide rate was released that year. [46] On 22 September 2014, President Maduro announced that his government would invest $47 million to create 60 new disarmament centers, and $39 million to fund a plan under which soldiers would patrol the most dangerous neighborhoods. There have been several high profile kidnappings that have resulted in murder, including the killings of three minor Canadian brothers, a wealthy Italo-Venezuelan businessman, and the daughter of a senior Venezuelan military commander. In, InSight Crime. Saint Kitts and Nevis - 36.09. [69][70][71][72][73][74], According to the Trafficking in Persons Report 2014 by the State Department of the United States, "Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor". 5. Geography - note. 32 references, 810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531, United States, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, United States, Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849-6000, United States. US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, International Crime Statistics Program, Territories Financial Support Center (TFSC), Tribal Financial Management Center (TFMC). [18] Sanjuan data from 2000 shows that in the capital city of Caracas, 92% of homicides are due to firearms and that 83% of homicide victims died near their homes, 55% in public altercations and 55% of the homicides occurred on the weekend. Much of Caracas crime and violence can be attributed to mobile street gangs and organized crime groups. [139] According to Alessio Bruni of the United Nations Committee against Torture, "a typical problem of the prison system is gun violence, nearly circulating freely within prisons, causing hundreds and hundreds of people killed every year" with the UN committee alarmed at reports that between 2004 and 2014, 4,791 inmates were killed and 9,931 injured.