In 2015 Costa Rica reported a record 553 homicides. The police authorities have indicated that they estimate that 37% if those murders are due to drug related retaliations in a fight for territory. The Costa Rica Criminal Investigative Organization (O.I.J.) has 1,174 investigative agents and the increase in the number of homicides is putting a strain on the resources of the department.
The creation of a specialized organized crime unit is being implemented which will authorize the hiring of more agents to attack organized crime in Costa Rica.
The per capita murder rate for Costa Rica for 2015 was 11.4 per 100,000. The United States has a murder rate of 5 per 100,000. In Latin America Venezuela has the highest murder rate of 82 per 100,000.
