Caracas has undergone a dramatic security transformation, with crime plummeting after police raids that killed thousands of suspected gang members. Once known as the world's murder capital with over 16,000 homicides in a single year, the city now sees rare street robberies and virtually no kidnappings. Miguel Dao, a veteran kidnapping negotiator, noted it's been three years since he's had a single case to handle.
The homicide rate has collapsed, though United Nations investigators report that police executed thousands of poor young men in campaigns targeting potential gang recruits. Mass migration also contributed, as gang members fled Venezuela's economic collapse. Unlike El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who openly boasts about security measures, Venezuela's authorities rarely discuss the crime drop, with many Caracas residents focused on basic survival rather than celebrating the turnaround.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing