change much with the marginal improvements that may be reported at the end of 2017. But this is not the only number to be reckoned with. Extortions have increased in recent years. According to data from CIEN, the complaints of extortions grew from 31.1 per hundred thousand persons in January 2016 to 46.2 in October 2017. In fewer than 24 months, this crime grew by almost 50%. It would seem that criminals have found a very profitable “business” in extortions. In addition to the human drama and tragedy of violence
IF THE STATE IS INCAPABLE OF PROVIDING SECURITY AND JUSTICE, IT AUTOMATICALLY BECOMES A FAILED STATE.
An evaluation of the agencies that are directly responsible for citizen security shows that the common denominator is that their capacity is exceeded or even that they are part of the problem. For starters, the citizens have little trust in the National Civil Police (PNC). According to the Latin American Barometer (Latinbarómetro) 2017, only 24% of the Guatemalan people trust the PNC, which makes it the fourth country with the lowest trust in its police force in Latin America, closely following Bolivia, Paraguay and Mexico. On the other hand, the Prosecution is present only in 34 of the 340 municipalities of the country, and the Judiciary does not have enough judges to cover an overwhelming docket. The most serious situation seems to be the correctional system of the country that has a capacity for 6,809 inmates and currently holds over 22,000. The State lost control to such degree that 90% of the extortions come from correctional centers, which turns them into true logistical hubs for organized crime. Guatemala faces huge security challenges, considering the size of the problem and the limited capacity to solve it. However, it is important for us to understand as a society that, if the state is incapable of providing security and justice, it automatically becomes a failed State.
and insecurity, these scourges also mean extremely high financial costs. According to the Global Peace Index 2017, the financial cost of violence in Guatemala is equivalent to 15.4% of its GDP, which places Guatemala in the list of 28 countries of the world (out of 163 evaluated) where the cost of violence is the highest. And, according to the Global Competitiveness Index 2017-2018, the business costs of violence and crime are so high in Guatemala that it is one of the 4 countries with the worst grade in this regard worldwide, among 137 countries included in this ranking.
Levels of investment, economic growth and job creation depend on the functionality of the State in terms of security. The country would take a quantum leap if, rather than including so many superfluous expenses in the public budget, these funds were allocated to security and justice agencies in the country, that so urgently need them. Our future depends on it, but for that to happen, the currently absent political will is essential.
The Global Competitiveness Index 2017-2018 also reveals that, in the opinion of businesspersons surveyed, insecurity is the most negative factor to do business in Guatemala, together with corruption and the bureaucratic inefficiency of the government. Viewed from this perspective, unless one of the main objectives for the State becomes reducing the levels of violence and insecurity of the country, we will hardly be able to attract all the investment that is needed to accomplish economic growth.
SOURCES: Insight Crime CIEN Global Peace Index 2017 Global Competitivenes Index 2017-2018 Latinobarómetro 2017 National Civil Police The Prosecution United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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