HomeNewsBriefHomicide Rates Fell in Guatemalan Regions After State of Emergency
BRIEF

Homicide Rates Fell in Guatemalan Regions After State of Emergency

GUATEMALA / 21 FEB 2012 BY GEOFFREY RAMSEY EN

Crime data released by police in Guatemala for 2011 indicates that the homicide rates in two provinces with significant drug cartel presence have fallen significantly following security crackdowns there.

According to Plaza Publica's analysis of data released by the National Civil Police (PNC), the departments of Alta Verapaz and Peten, where the government declared “states of siege” to root out drug traffickers in 2010 and 2011 respectively, both saw a decrease in homicide rates of more than 20 percent in 2011.

The data suggests that murder rates fell in 2011 in all but eight of the country’s 22 departments. This fits with recent announcements by government officials, who claim that the national homicide rate fell to 38.61 per 100,000 in 2011, down from 41.5 in 2010.

Guatemala Department, which contains the capital city, is no longer the most dangerous province in the country. In 2011 it was replaced by the eastern department of Zacapa, which, along with Esquintla and Santa Rosa departments in the south, are both the most dangerous departments and those which saw the biggest increases in homicide rates last year.

InSight Crime Analysis

The drop in homicides in Alta Verapaz and Peten is an encouraging sign for Guatemala. As InSight Crime has reported, police and military operations did not result in any significant arrests, and there has been no indication that drug trafficking activity fell significantly in either department. However, the states of siege could have had at least a deterrent effect, convincing traffickers to be more discreet about their activities, and avoid the kind of police and media attention that the Zetas' massacre of 27 farmhands brought in May 2011.

Despite the apparent drop in violence, Guatemala remains a violent country and is still a key transit nation for cocaine destined for the US market. Recently, there have also been indications that the country is becoming a drug producing nation as well, potentially even rivaling Mexico in meth production.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COCAINE / 28 OCT 2022

Murders in Esmeraldas, northern Ecuador, have exploded. Gangs battling for control of drug trafficking routes are to blame.

BRAZIL / 24 AUG 2021

Localized gang warfare in Brazil's state of Rio Grande do Sul has sparked a security crisis along its border with…

ARGENTINA / 30 SEP 2022

The capture of a young member of the Cantero family, leaders of the Monos, underlines their persistence in Argentina.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.