All About Vigilantes

NEWS

A Guatemala Arrest, a US Indictment, and a Mexico Attack

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 2 APR 2021

Following the arrest of a former Mexican mayor in Guatemala, US prosecutors unveiled an indictment against him and criminal rivals allegedly attacked the town he once ruled.

EL SALVADOR / 25 JUL 2018

Authorities in Guatemala fear that self-defense groups operating in response to a lack of state presence may turn into criminal organizations engaged in illicit activities, something authorities throughout the region…

BARRIO 18 / 31 MAY 2018

Authorities in El Salvador are keen to expand a much-praised local policing model believed to have helped two rural communities tackle bloody gang control. But a visit to the areas…

BRAZIL / 12 MAR 2018

Year after year, Latin America and the Caribbean dominate global city and country homicide rankings. But what sets this corner of the world apart from the rest? And what makes…

MEXICO / 28 NOV 2017

The decline of the Caballeros Templarios has left Michoacán at the mercy of a tangle of rivals, none of whom appear able to reassert the supremacy that previously imposed a…

BRAZIL / 5 SEP 2017

A video of what appears to be a series of extrajudicial killings by a Mexican police officer in the border city of Reynosa is yet another example of how a…

MEXICO / 19 JUL 2017

The presence of armed civilian self-defense groups across Mexico will only cause "anarchy," according to the country's interior minister. His recent comments underscore a lack of coherent public policy on…

EL SALVADOR / 23 JUN 2017

Police and army officials were among those arrested in El Salvador's biggest opperation against anti-gang death squads in recent memory, as the authorities finally move against the deadly militias that…

MEXICO / 14 JUN 2017

A self-defense group in Mexico has turned to social media to boast about its members' efforts to take justice into their own hands, a reminder of the complex role…

MEXICO / 29 MAY 2017

Police forces in Mexico's state of Michoacán have increasingly been subject to attacks, a reminder of the ongoing security crisis affecting the region and the government's shortsighted response to local…

EL SALVADOR / 9 MAY 2017

The heads of El Salvador's executive and legislative branches are discussing the possibility of having the state arm community groups in the country's interior in order to combat the MS13…

EL SALVADOR / 26 APR 2017

A self-defense group operating in a rural community of El Salvador is asking for formal legal recognition, a reminder of security concerns elsewhere in the region caused by similar non-state actors…

COLECTIVOS / 25 JAN 2017

More than one police officer or military soldier was killed per day in Venezuela in 2016, a figure that highlights the steadily degrading security situation for which recent government policies…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…