Analysis: Has Guatemala really turned a corner with the decline in homicides?

The Guatemalan government announced that the murder rate has fallen under outgoing president Alvaro Colom, moving against the current of public opinion which believes that the security situation has worsened under his administration.

The Interior Minister, Carlos Menocal, stated that the homicide rate had fallen from 46 per 100,000 of the population in 2008 to 38.61 in 2011.

The statistics need to be confirmed by independent study, but even if they do prove to be accurate, this cannot be seen as an indication that Guatemala has turned a corner in its fight against crime.


Original source: Insight Crime