+34
Residents of Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, are installing gates and walls to protect residents from exploding crime rates, according to a report.
are walling themselves into their neighborhoods to protect against criminals who are running rampant in the city, according to a report. "It’s regrettable we have to close ourselves off and the criminals are outside, but there was no other way for us to feel safe," Johana Torres, a resident and president of a neighborhood in Guayaquil,An average of seven people a day were killed in Guayaquil in the first quarter of 2023, which is double the rate during the same time period last year, the outlet reported.
Police say violence exploded following the pandemic and as drug gang wars erupted on the streets. Residents in certain neighborhoods are turning to security gates to keep criminals away, including in Torres' Samanes 1 neighborhood on the north side of the city. Six gates were installed around the neighborhood in December to protect the more than 300 families who live there and prevent outsiders from entering the area between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. Members of the Marines detain a suspect during security operations in southern Guayaquil, Ecuador on Oct.19, 2021. "If they didn’t break into your house, they robbed someone, beat someone up. Cars got stolen. All kinds of stuff happened," Torres said. She said theAn urban planner and public safety expert told EFE that Guayaquil is working to"bunkerize" withcitizens from criminals, similar to other nearby cities that have high crime. "These cities are in a process of bunkerization. The idea is to close yourself off and turn yourself into a bunker so no one can enter," Fernando Carrion told the outlet."How can you enter one of these places? First of all, with a passport, which is an identification; secondly, with a visa, because you have to ask for a person’s authorization to enter; and thirdly, going through customs, which is basically a body search they do before you can enter. We’re creating a series of borders within cities," he continued. He called the new safety measures"a natural reaction amid government inefficiency." The outlet reported that extortion cases in the city have exploded in recent years, with prosecutors recording 1,603 such cases between January and June, compared to 1,265 cases for all of 2022 and only 425 in 2021. Robberies that target both homes and retail stores have also skyrocketed this year – already surpassing all of 2022's robberies. A resident looks out the window of a house on Puerto Libertad Island in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on May 11, 2023. Last month, residents in Guayaquil's Nueva Kennedy neighborhood installed 17 gates around its outskirts to protect the
Scratch the next story
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dog killed in Fremont; reward offered in ‘atrocious’ crimeThe Humane Society is currently offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information on the death of a dog in Sandusky County, Ohio.
Read more »
Storm may be over, but for Mentor-on-the-Lake residents, cleanup will last a whileCleanup is underway from Thursday’s strong storms, and one of the hardest-hit areas is at Mentor-on-the-Lake. One resident is dealing with the aftermath of six huge trees inside her home.
Read more »
South Shore residents getting their vehicles broken into, stolen off the streetChicago police are warning South Shore residents about a string of vehicle thefts in the area.
Read more »
Series of mail thefts has Astoria residents calling for actionMore and more postal relay boxes across New York City are becoming the target of thieves. ElleMcLogan takes us to Astoria, where mail is repeatedly stolen from the same street corner.
Read more »
Forced from homes by Rolling Hills Estates landslide, weary residents could wait weeks for answersIt could be up to two months before geological experts evaluating the Rolling Hills Estates landslide have any preliminary answers.
Read more »