Category Archives: South America

Police powers expanded in Chile

Chile, generally the safest country in Latin America, saw a 32% increase in homicides in 2022, attributed in part to Venezuelan gang violence. Over the last month, several police officers have been killed. In response, the government has passed new … Continue reading

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Garda strengthening international networking

The Garda commissioner recently visited the agency’s liaison officer in Bogota, Colombia as part of a networking trip to North and South America, as reported here. In Colombia, “discussions centred on the booming cocaine trade from South America to Europe.” … Continue reading

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2022 homicides in Latin America and the Caribbean

Three Caribbean nations appear to have had the most homicides per capita in 2022 in the combined Latin American and Caribbean region, as reported here. The leader was Turks and Caicos at 77.6 per 100,000 population, followed by Jamaica and … Continue reading

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Venezuela proposes police reform

The Venezuelan president has announced a plan to incease the national police from 44,000 to 100,000 in order to boost territorial policing and establish “peace quadrants,” as reported here. The police are to coordinate with the military and be guided … Continue reading

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Gallup 2022 Global Law & Order Report

Gallup’s 2022 Global Law & Order Report is available here. It reports on an index comprised of 4 survey items including confidence in police, feelings of safety, and recent property and personal crime victimization. Twelve countries scored 90 or higher … Continue reading

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Global crime trends

Interpol recently released its first ever Global Crime Trend report, summarized in this column. More than 60% of police officials see “money laundering, ransomware, phishing and online scams as high or very high threats,” and over 70% “expect crimes such … Continue reading

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South American ministers team up with Interpol & Ameripol

Ministers from 9 South American countries met recently in Brazil with representatives of Interpol and Ameripol to coordinate regional responses to organized and transnational crime, as reported here. The participating countries agreed “to enhance their regional security collaboration via the … Continue reading

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Mexico leads “most violent cities” list in 2021

The 8 most violent cities in the world in 2021 were all in Mexico, according to the top-50 list compiled annually by the Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice. That marks the 5th consecutive year that a Mexican … Continue reading

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Police Training to Promote the Rule of Law and Protect the Population

A new report from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences on “Police Training to Promote the Rule of Law and Protect the Population” is available for download here. The purpose of the report, which builds on an organizing framework published … Continue reading

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2021 Corruption Perceptions Index

Transparency International’s 2021 perceptions of public corruption index is available here. Among 180 countries, the least corrupt were Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand. The most corrupt were South Sudan, Syria, and Somalia. Over the last 5 years, the countries that … Continue reading

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