Updated on
Summary
Venezuela's response to mounting security concerns among its population. With the country gearing up for September 26 legislative elections, the government has moved to increase the police presence in some of Caracas' most dangerous neighbourhoods. Opposition parties have focused their campaigns on the country's soaring crime rates and laid the blame squarely on the government. But President Hugo Chavez says the opposition is exaggerating the depth of the problem to win support. But with one of the world's highest homicide rates, polls show that violent crime is a top concern among voters. One Caracas resident said she expected the increased police presence to help make her city safer. The government has not published official murder figures for several years. But NGOs, citing leaked police statistics and media reports, say that between 13,000 and 16,000 people were killed in Venezuela last year.
