PUBLIC REPORTING UNDERESTIMATES RISING HOMICIDE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 002386 SIPDIS SIPDIS USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM VE SUBJECT: PUBLIC REPORTING UNDERESTIMATES RISING HOMICIDE FIGURES REF: A. CARACAS 03521 ¶B. CARACAS 00022 Classified By: Robert Downes, Political Counselor, for Reason 1.4(b). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Venezuelan newspaper, El Universal, reported that 315 violent deaths occurred in Caracas during the first two weeks of December, an average of 15.5 per day. The chief coroner (protect) at the Caracas morgue told Poloff that the actual rate was closer to one per hour. El Universal calculated the Caracas murder rate in November as 532 deaths, exceeding Los Angeles' homicide count of 457 for all of 2006. According to the coroner, a political appointee loyal to Justice and Interior Minister Pedro Carreno compiles the statistics from each office and sends them directly to Carreno without sharing them with other morgue personnel. Pollsters indicate that high crime is the primary concern of most Venezuelans, regardless of income level. Opposition parties have focused on the rising crime rate in their criticism of the Chavez administration. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) El Universal, Venezuela's newspaper of record, reported on December 16 that murders during the first fifteen days of December totaled 315. The broadsheet contrasted December's figure with November's tally of 532 homicides. With a population of 4.7 million, Caracas is similar in size to Los Angeles, California's 4.1 million but, in all of 2006, LA only had 457 murders. Using El Universal's November figure to extrapolate an annual average, there are 11.1 murders for every 100,000 Angelinos, but Caracenos suffer a surfeit of roughly 135 murders per 100,000. ¶3. (C) PolOff visited the director of the central morgue, Dr. Boris Bossio (protect throughout),a 28 year professional who described his department as operating at less that half strength, exhausted and unmotivated. Pointing out the age of his facility, he noted that "in 1935, Caracas had five murders a month, now it is averaging one an hour." When asked about the accuracy of El Universal's December 18 report alleging that 67 persons had been murdered over the four day weekend, Bossio indicated that it was not safe to talk, but using gestures made it unmistakably clear that the actual number was upwards of 100 dead. Bossio described all neighborhoods at risk because of high criminal mobility due to cheap gasoline. He noted that the aggressiveness of the crimes has increased, with victims often arriving with five or more gunshot wounds. Since some 45% of the victims were males between 20-30 years of age, Dr. Bossio is concerned about the socio-demographic impact. Although murder and violent crime statistics are not available to the press or public, Bossio explained that an appointee from the Ministry of Justice and the Interior collected the figures sending them directly to Minister Pedro Carreno without sharing them with other morgue staff. ¶4. (SBU) Polls have consistently shown crime as being a top concern among Venezuelans of all socio-economic strata. Several opposition parties, such as Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT), Primera Justicia (PJ) and pro-government party PODEMOS have placed crime and insecurity at the vanguard of their criticisms of the Chavez administration. PJ Secretary General Carlos Ocariz called on President Chavez to accept his referendum defeat, put aside his political agenda and stop the wave of homicides. PODEMOS party Vice President Ricardo Gutierrez said his party would "fight for a system of personal security for all Venezuelans." ¶5. (C) Comment: Although official metrics remain unavailable, Venezuelans have a certainty that the security situation has become worse. Adding to the stress is the pervasiveness of violent crime in every neighborhood, which requires residents to be on constant alert. While the BRV may seek to withhold the statistics, media interest and public unhappiness makes the subject of violent crime a daily issue. DUDDY