What are the cities with the highest crime rates?

“To have once been a criminal is no disgrace. To remain a criminal is the disgrace” ― Malcolm X

While we would all like to believe the American human rights activist point that to remain a criminal is disgraceful. But the persistent presence of violence and crime in our cities is a fact that continues to plague many countries.

The anti-violence organization from Mexico called Seguridad, Justicia, Y Paz (Security, Justice, and Peace) has compiled a list of the most violent cities in the world. While crimes may be categorized into many categories, for the purpose of this study the organization picked the homicide rate as a reflection of the crime scenario in major cities around the world. Here’s a list of the most violent cities or the cities with the highest homicide rate (per 100,000 residents) in the world.

Brazil is the country that features the most cities on the list, with 17 out of 50. Next in line is Mexico with 12 cities, followed by Venezuela. It remains a major cause for concern that an overwhelming majority of the cities on the list are in Latin American. The high homicide rates in these Latin American cities has been attributed to the presence of drug cartels and mob violence. Corruption, growing inequality, and political unrest have also been widely accepted causes for such violence. The beautiful city of Los Cabos which is known for attracting many tourists is at the very top in this list. While local authorities claim that tourists have not been the target of these homicides, the fact remains that tourism has been greatly affected by the string of violent crimes in the city.

The four American cities that feature on this list are St. Louis, Baltimore, New Orleans and Detroit. The three cities from South Africa that feature on the list of cities with the highest homicide rates include Cape Town, Durban, and Nelson Mandela Bay. Studies show that the high rate of crime and homicide in the country is a direct result of widespread unemployment and continued racism.

Know more:

• Countries with High Crime Rates
• Countries with Lowest Crime Rates

• Can Gun Control Reduce Crime?
• Largest population in prison

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