Ecuador Records 2022 Homicide Rate -Highest in Decades

Ecuadorian Interior Minister Juan Zapata said that during the current year, Ecuador has recorded its highest homicide rate in decades, with 25.5 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants.

RELATED:
US National Defense Act Includes Ukaine, Taiwan, and Ecuador

The data come from a police report on violence which shows that up to December 28th, 2022, the South American country registered 4 539 homicide victims. The previous year, a much lower figure of 2 048 crimes was recorded for the same period.

According to the report, the country's homicide rate in 2022 is 25.5 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants, up from 13.7 in 2021. Private security consultant and former Vice Minister of the Interior Andres de la Vega called such a scenario "the worst rate in history since the number of homicides has been recorded."

In this regard, de la Vega said that Esmeraldas and Guayaquil stand out negatively among the most insecure cities globally with homicide rates of 77 people per 100 000 and 46.6 respectively. "The government wants to promote economic development, but without security, it is not possible," the official added.

A total of 24 072 police officers will participate in the control operations for the New Year's Eve holiday, which will begin tomorrow, Friday, in Ecuador, informed the Minister of the Interior, Juan Zapata.

At a press conference on security operations during the New Year holidays, the Minister of the Interior referred to the security work carried out by the police, noting that 71 officers have died in the line of duty this year. 

Zapata said that 195 tons of drugs have been seized, and the police are acting in the regions hardest hit by violence in an effort to break up criminal structures. 

Regarding the causes of violent deaths in the country, the official said that drug trafficking, the fight for territory and power struggles within the gangs account for 83 percent of these incidents.