Colombia more crime-ridden than Mexico: Report

Out of 19 Latin American countries Colombia had the 7th best “law and crime” indicators, according to a new report from the news analysis website Latinvex.

  1. Chile 48.8
  2. Uruguay 41.9
  3. Costa Rica 37.2
  4. Brazil 32.6
  5. Panama 29.6
  6. Mexico 29.1
  7. Colombia 28.6
  8. Peru 28.5
  9. Argentina 26.3
  10. Paraguay 23.8
  11. Dom. Rep. 23
  12. Nicaragua 22.2
  13. Bolivia 20.8
  14. Ecuador 20.3
  15. Haiti 19.2
  16. Guatemala 17.8
  17. El Salvador 16.9
  18. Honduras 15.4
  19. Venezuela 10.5

Average 25.9

Latinvex used six categories to determine the general state of “law and crime” in the 19 Latin American countries.

Colombia ranked “sixth in categories like reliability of police, judicial independence, overall rule of law and property rights and fifth in terms of having the lowest corruption. However, its overall score is pulled down by having Latin America’s fifth-highest homicide rate,” said the report.

Both Mexico and Brazil recieved better marks with regards to corruption, reliability of police and homicide rates than Colombia.

With a total of 14,573 homicides in 2011, Colombia registered a homicide rate of 33 per 100,000 people, compared to Mexico’s 18 per 100,000 and Brazil’s 26.

The country with the least favorable ranking in the aforementioned categories was Colombia’s neighbor Venezuela, mainly due to soaring murder rates, a government-dependent judiciary and government expropriations.

Chile topped five of the six categories used in Latinvex’ Law & Crime Index. It had “Latin America’s most reliable police, highest judicial independence, lowest corruption, highest property rights and best overall rule of law,” concluded the report.

Latinvex is a website specialized in news and analysis from Latin America.

100 represented the best possible indications and one the worst.

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