QCOSTARICA — 18% of businesses report having been harmed by the wave of crime that affects the country, as announced by the UCCAEP in its most recent Pulso Empresarial. (Business Pulse) survey.
In that sense, 41% of businesses, that is, four out of every ten reported that the government is not taking appropriate measures to confront the problem.
On Wednesday, the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) reported 844 murders have been committed so far this year, which represents a 40% increase compared to the same period last year.
The increase is due mainly to a war between drug trafficking gangs in their fight for territory.
Causes
The lower social investment in the last ten years, ups and downs in the budget of the Ministry of Public Security and the Judiciary, as well as a number of police officers, a number that is the same as a decade ago, explain why Costa Rica registers a record number of homicides, the penetration of drug traffickers and sicarios (murder for hire).
To this we must add the impact of the pandemic in terms of poverty, loss of jobs and lack of opportunities, which have pushed many young people into criminal structures.
Lower investment in all areas is explained by the fiscal rule, which limits the growth of public spending, in addition to the weight of the debt that exceeds 60% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the fiscal deficit, which contained State spending. since 2018.
The crusade of authorities to reduce the fiscal debt left as a result a weakening of the resources for the social agenda The decision that the country made at that time was vital to avoid an economic disaster that is still a threat.
According to the report “Estado de la Nación” (State of the Nation) on November 23, “In 2022 and early 2023, Costa Rica moved away from the aspiration of having a more equitable and integrated society, with greater capabilities and opportunities for all people, without exclusion.”
