HomeNewsBriefPeru's New Homicide Index Shows Spiking Violence in Drug Port
BRIEF

Peru's New Homicide Index Shows Spiking Violence in Drug Port

HOMICIDES / 22 JUL 2016 BY MIMI YAGOUB EN

New homicide statistics from Peru reveal a nationwide rise in murders over the past five years, and an even steeper surge in the disputed criminal territory of Callao port.

El Comercio has published homicide data elaborated by the newly inaugurated National Criminal Policy Observatory (Observatorio Nacional de Política Criminal) -- a joint project by Peru's Justice Ministry and the National Statistics and Information Institute (INEI).

The 2011 - 2015 homicide statistics -- described by the news website as the first ever official figures on violent deaths in the country -- show that the national murder rate has risen year upon year, and is up from 5.4 per 100,000 in 2011 to 7.2 in 2015.

The murder rate in Callao -- although it was unclear whether this referred to the province or the port city of the same name -- was consistently around double the national average, and increased from 10.2 per 100,000 in 2011 to 15.2 in 2015. On the other hand, the capital city of Lima's murder rate has been fairly stable, while remaining significantly lower than the national average at 5.0 in 2015. No other figures were released.

For decades, the police have been collecting data in a largely unreliable and unofficial fashion, criminology investigator with Peru's Catholic University (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú - PUCP) Nicolás Zevallos told El Comercio. Zevallos noted that such disorganized data collection has hindered implementation of effective security policies.

According to separate statistics by the INEI reported in February 2016 by La República, Tumbes is the most murderous city in the country with a rate of 37.1 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

SEE ALSO:  Coverage of Homicides

Tumbes' regional police chief General William Montenegro attributed the majority of killings to conflict between gangs involved in petrol contraband, criminal groups charging extortion on construction sites and assault. There are at least five groups extorting money from Tumbes' construction industry due to the large amount of investment in the area, according to the national police.

InSight Crime Analysis

The worrying homicide statistics seen in Callao are closely linked to organized criminal dynamics in the region. Callao is Peru's most important port, and it has also become a transnational drug trafficking and contraband hub. Its spiking murder rate is largely attributed to clashes between local criminal groups for control of the drug trade and extortion, and criminal violence has reached such levels that Peruvian President Ollanta Humala declared a state of emergency in the region in December 2015.

SEE ALSO:  Peru News and Profiles

Despite the April 2016 arrest of one of Callao's main criminal bosses, Gerson Aldair Gálvez Calle, alias "Caracol," drug trafficking in the port city looks set to continue unabated. Caracol's heirs appear to have taken control of criminal activities, which are facilitated by deep corruption among port officials.

The curse of port cities situated along drug trafficking routes has been strongly felt across the region. In Buenaventura, Colombia's main cocaine export port, intense fighting between criminal organizations in recent years had local residents living under a state of siege.

Competition between local gangs has set off a huge crime wave in Mexico's touristic port city of Acapulco, which is now the most murderous city in the country and one of the most violent in the world.

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

G9 / 20 MAY 2022

Less than a week after a vicious 12-day gang war rocked the northern communes of Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince, a…

CARIBBEAN / 8 DEC 2022

A broad state of emergency announced across Jamaica in order to rein in rising violence has met with scorn.

FENTANYL / 10 JAN 2022

The hideous levels of violence plaguing Zacatecas, exemplified by ten bodies abandoned in a van outside the governor’s office, are…

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.