Sharp drop reported in El Salvador homicides

Homicides have dropped sharply in El Salvador so far in 2017, the government said Wednesday, after the gang-plagued country posted some of the world’s highest murder rates in recent years.

National police Commissioner Howard Cotto said 237 killings were recorded in February. Added to 256 in January, that’s 493 for the first two months. Last year El Salvador saw 1,404 homicides during the same period. Cotto attributed the decline to a government crackdown and legislation giving authorities extraordinary powers to fight gangs.

Source: Associated Press