CRIME STATISTICS FOR COSTA RICA: 2005

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000327 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DS/IP/WHA, DS/IP/ITA, DS/CR/CIL AND DS/DSS/OSAC; PANAMA FOR LEGATT, ICE ATTACHE, AND RSO; MANAGUA FOR RSO; SALVADOR FOR RSO AND OIG TEAM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC CASC KCRM SUBJECT: CRIME STATISTICS FOR COSTA RICA: 2005 REF: A. COSTA RICAN JUDICIAL POLICE CRIME STATISTICS 2005 ¶B. DEA SEIZURE STATISTICS (2000 - 2005) ¶C. EMBASSY SAN JOSE INFORMAL CONSULAR CRIME STATISTICS (2004 - PRESENT) ¶1. Per referenced crime statistics provided by the Judicial Police (OIJ),RSO is providing a comparison for major crime categories to the 2004 crime statistics for Costa Rica: 2005 Change from 2004 Theft of Vehicles 5403 cases 18.2% Assaults (Robbery) 7500 cases 4.2% Home Robberies 6151 cases 28.9% Vehicle Break-ins 6916 cases 22.5% Business Break-ins 4052 cases 22.0% Kidnappings 8 cases 9 cases total Bank Assaults 9 cases 11 cases total Homicides 300 cases 9%(275 homicides) ¶2. For every category of crime, the majority of the criminal activity was in the San Jose region, identified as having a population of 1,480,140 citizens. This increase in crime in nearly every category except Bank Assaults and Kidnappings is noteworthy and fits with anecdotal reports of criminal incidents reported to RSO this past year. RSO has reported in previous cables significant violent criminal activity in San Jose, especially in the areas where the Embassy is located and in the neighborhoods where the majority of our personnel are housed. ¶3. In FY 2005, the Consular Section processed 1,558 applications to replace U.S. passports stolen in Costa Rica. This was an increase of 30% from the previous year, and puts San Jose in first place worldwide, ahead of places like Rome and Paris, for stolen passports. In almost all instances, the passport theft involves tourists and is incidental to the theft of luggage, purses, backpacks, briefcases, etc. Many AmCits reporting passport theft do not file a report with the OIJ due to the inconvenience, the language barrier, and the realization that little or no action will be taken by OIJ to solve the crime. Anecdotally, we also know that most AmCit victims of crime do not report the incident to the Embassy unless a passport was stolen or immediate assistance is required. 4 An increase in the murder rate between the 2004 and 2005 years (9 percent) does not look good for the homicide rate in Costa Rica, looking forward five years. It is also important to note the increase in narcotics seizures (Ref B),with 9691.13 kilos of cocaine and 35.36 kilos of heroin seized in Costa Rica in CY 2005. Before CY 2005, the highest kilo seizure amount of cocaine in Costa Rica during the last five years was 5,710 kilos in CY 2003. ¶5. RSO will continue to report specific criminal events affecting Embassy personnel and AmCit tourists, in order to present a clear picture of the crime threat in this country. Although a tourist haven for both AmCits and Europeans, Costa Rica has real crime problems, supported by the OIJ crime statistics. The bottom line is crime is high in Costa Rica and it appears to be getting worse. LANGDALE