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Police reported 282 kidnappings occurred in Colombia in 2011, an increase of 28% compared to the year before.
In 2010 220 kidnappings were registered in Colombia, and the first rise in kidnapping in a decade.
Director of the Anti-kidnapping and Extortion Unit Humberto Guatibonza said that kidnappings are increasingly due to economic instead of political motivations.
According to Guatibonza, 60% of kidnappings were committed by common criminals, 30% by guerrilla groups, and 10% by organized crime groups.
The director said the profile of kidnapping victims is typically someone with money or who comes from a wealthy family.
Last week Colombia’s largest guerrilla group the FARC announced they would abandon the practice of kidnapping.
