State of Paraná, Brazil, Registers One Homicide Every Three Hours, Report Concludes

On January 31, 2013, Gazeta do Povo reported that the state of Paraná announced its crime statistics for 2012, through its Public Security Ministry (SESP).  The report found that Paraná registered 3,135 homicides, or about one every three hours.  This number represents a rise of 1.6% from the year before.  Curitiba, the capital, had a drop in homicides, however (-12.6%), while the report highlighted a higher number of murders in the region close to Iguazu Falls.  In addition, car theft averaged one per hour in the capital.  Rubens Recalcatti, head of the police’s Homicide Division, noted that the drug trade was chiefly to blame for the number of homicides near the border.  Read Article