(QCOSTARICA) – The National Household Survey of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (Nacional de Hogares del Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos – INEC), notes that in 2014, more people victims of robbery or home invasion decided to file a complaint (denuncia in Spanish) with the Ministerio Publico (Public Prosecutor).
However, the number of reports represents only 29.7% of the total number of incidents.
According to Francisco Segura, head of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), that of a total of 516.124 events reported, complaints were filed in only 153.066 of the cases. Segura points that the number of complaints rose from 23.1% in 2008 and only 23.7% in 2010.
An according to a recent opinion poll by the Center for Research and Policy Studies at the University of Costa Rica (Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Políticos – CIEP de la Universidad de Costa Rica), published in the university newspaper, Semanario Universidad, the confidence of people in police authorities is in doubt.
For example, the Semanario report says people feel the OIJ is the “best” qualified, with an average confidence of 72%, while the Fuerza Publica (police) or Guarda Civil (community police) scored a confidence of 65% and the Poder Judicial (the Judiciary) only 64%.
The OIJ data shows that more incidients of property crimes are reproted in urban areas than in rural areas, 21.6% and 15.4%, respectively.
The ministro de Seguridad Publica (MSP), Gustavo Mata, said that for the first quarter of 2015 they have detected a decreased in the rate of property crimes.
Mata says the drop is due to a series of “police tactics” implemented in recent months, with a focus on increase police presence in hotspots.
According to Mata, the province of Limon is tops in a decrease in offences, followed by Heredia and San José.
