Murder rates rising in the Americas
burned down police station in Caracas slum
Murder rates are increasing in the Americas and Africa, according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The report says that globally, more than 460,000 people were murdered in 2010.
According to Angela Me, from UNODC in Vienna, Central America and the Caribbean region, is at 'near crisis point'.
She says the report underlines two issues.
"One is that the increase that we have seen in this region in the last five years is clearly due to homicide by firearms. But it is also in this region where we have the highest proportion of homicide committed in relation to organized crime. They are about one quarter of all homicides in this region while in other regions this is about five per cent." (Duration: 22")
UNODC says that in the Americas as well as Southern and Central Africa women are at highest risk of being killed in domestic violence.
