Caracas district sees 21 percent drop in murders

As part of his crime reduction measures Ocariz multiplied the number of police patrols eight-fold and boosted officer salaries. He also called on citizens to disarm -- a request welcomed by hundreds of local residents who dumped firearms at the mayor office's doorstep.
Venezuela ended 2008 with some 14,000 murders overall, amounting to 50 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, according to a Venezuelan NGO that monitors crime in the South American nation.
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Image of Caracas, from tripadvisor.com.