Guatemala 2020 Crime & Safety Report This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Guatemala. For more in-depth information, review OSAC’s country-specific page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password. Travel Advisory The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses Guatemala at Level 2, indicating travelers should exercise increased caution due to crime. Reconsider travel to Guatemala, Escuintla, Chiquimula, Quetzaltenango, Izabal, and Peten departments due to crime. Review OSAC’s report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. Overall Crime and Safety Situation Crime Threats The U.S. Department of State has assessed Guatemala City as being a CRITICAL-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. There is a critical threat in all other departments of the country as well. Crime in Guatemala stems from many sources, and its impact is magnified by various issues such as corruption, an inadequate justice system, and the prevalence of both gang and narco activity across the country. The most common crimes against expatriates include petty theft and armed robbery. Many robberies occur during daylight hours while victims are walking or driving in well- known, well-traveled areas, including markets, public parks, and popular restaurant districts. Even the most upscale residential and commercial areas of Guatemala City (Zones 4, 10, 14, 15, and 16) experience violent crimes in broad daylight. These trends are not isolated to one specific part of the country. No area in Guatemala is immune to crime, including the most popular tourist destinations such as Antigua and Tikal. The U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office (RSO) continues to advise all U.S. citizens to be very vigilant of their surroundings and report any crime incidents promptly to the police. Theft and armed robbery are the most common crimes committed against U.S. citizens (infrequently, RSO receives reports of extortion attempts as well). Members of the expatriate community can fall victim to these crimes due to a perceived display of affluence, or by not following sound personal security practices. However, one emerging element of the criminal threat in 2019 is violence stemming from gang rivalries and extortion occurring in areas where members of the expat community congregate (e.g. malls). Further, acts of extreme violence employing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have occurred against public transportation and business in an attempt to extort targeted individuals. According to official statistics released by the National Board of Tourist Assistance (PROATUR), there were 176 recorded instances of crimes against tourists in Guatemala in 2019, with approximately 2.6 million registered tourists having visited the country during the year. Below are some examples that illustrate the gravity of the crime threat: On January 21, 2019, at approximately 1045hrs, an IED exploded in the doorway of a public bus traveling through Zone 7 in Guatemala City, located 3.5 miles from the Embassy. Reports indicate the bus driver was the victim of gang-related extortion operations. As retaliation for non-payment, a confirmed associate 1 of the gang Barrio 18, set off an IED approximately the size of a grenade inside the bus. In addition to the perpetrator, five victims went to local hospitals for treatment of injuries. On January 27, 2019, Guatemala National Police rendered safe an IED in Guatemala City eight miles north of the U.S. Embassy. Police said the gang Barrio 18 intended to attack taxi drivers to pressure them into paying extortion fees to the gang. Police arrested one Barrio 18 gang member in connection with the attempt. On February 26, 2019, at approximately 1230hrs, three third-party contractors working for a U.S. government agency and based in El Salvador reported they were shot at while driving near Rio Dulce. On May 1, 2019, an attempted robbery occurred within a block of the U.S. Ambassador’s residence. Armed security discharged their weapons in response, resulting in injuries to the robbery suspects. On June 9, 2019, at approximately 0130hrs, a 20-year-old local man was shot and killed, and a 15-year- old local boy was seriously wounded in front of a Shell gas station. Authorities arrested two members of Mara Salvatrucha in connection with the shooting. The shooting was the result of targeted gang rivalry and occurred about a kilometer from the construction site of the new U.S. embassy compound. On June 23, 2019 at around 1358 hrs., a U.S. citizen was passing through 32 Av. Calzada Roosevelt in Zone 11 to go shopping at Walmart with a friend. While en route, she was the victim of a robbery which resulted in a gunshot wound to her leg after she refused to comply with the robber's demands. On August 25, 2019 at 1210hrs, the spouse of a U.S. Embassy third party contractor was the victim of an attempted robbery while returning to her apartment complex. On September 20, 2019, at approximately 0430hrs, a triple homicide occurred at a nightclub approximately 575 meters south of the U.S. Embassy. On September 21, 2019, at approximately 0200hrs local time, a U.S. embassy employee was robbed. The incident occurred 700 meters southeast of the U.S. Embassy. Trends and Analysis A common trend in the commission of armed robberies is the use of motorcycles by assailants. Typically, two men on a motorcycle accost the driver of a car or pedestrian and demand valuables and cell phones. Often, a second pair of armed individuals accompany the assailants, functioning as lookouts. If the assailants encounter any resistance, they escalate the situation through extreme violence (e.g. stabbings, shootings). The use of motorcycles allows the assailants to flee quickly; police rarely apprehend them. Additionally, pickpockets and purse-snatchers are active in all cities and tourist sites. Petty criminals frequently target high-traffic tourist areas for petty crime. Markets, national parks, crowded venues, and shopping areas are all major areas of operation for criminals. Review OSAC’s report, All That You Should Leave Behind. Although Guatemala historically has had one of the highest violent crime rates in Central America, the trend has been positive over the past several years. Guatemala’s homicide rate peaked at 45 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009, but by the end of 2018 had dropped to about 22. In 2018, the police reported 3,881 homicides; a figure slightly higher than the 3,578 homicides reported for 2019. The number of reported missing persons also evinced a slight downward trend, with a total of 2,351 reported cases compared to 2,500 the year prior. RSO uses official police crime statistics for this report. However, the police do not count homicides if the victim left the crime scene alive but subsequently died from injuries elsewhere. INACIF (Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Forenses de Guatemala), the government agency responsible for tracking all deaths in country, shows homicide rates 8-16% higher than police homicide rates. Despite the slight downward trend, Guatemala remains among the most dangerous countries in the world. Endemic poverty, an abundance of weapons, a legacy of societal conflict, and the presence of organized criminal gangs Barrio 18 (18th Street) and Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) all contribute to violent crime. Guatemala’s alarmingly high murder rate appears driven by narco-trafficking activity, gang-related violence, a heavily armed population, and a police/judicial system unable to hold criminals accountable. The two primary gangs in Guatemala terrorize businesses and private citizens through targeted extortion attempts. Extortion is incredibly common and effects all sectors of society, with public bus and taxi drivers being the easiest and most common victims. However, local small businesses, the U.S. private sector, and local national employees of the U.S. Embassy were all frequent targets in 2019. The gangs also target schoolchildren, street vendors, and local residents. Although in recent years the number of reported extortions has increased, most incidents go unreported and there is uncertainty about the true magnitude of the problem. Further complicating the widespread issue of extortion is the presence of persons who imitate gang members in order to threaten and receive extortion payments despite not belonging to gangs. Gang members usually punish non-compliant victims with violent assault or murder, and victimize their family members as punishment. A total of 89 extortion-related homicides were reported in 2019. While extortion activity is often associated with the transport sector and the receipt of extortion payments from bus drivers, extortion threats are also reported in other commercial sections such as restaurant and store owners. Further, the number and type and extortion victims has increased through the use of social media in recent years. Gangs members and imitators will use various types of social media to threaten their targets and receive extortion payments. PNC reported 14,714 cases of extortion in 2019. The following is a breakdown of victim types and number of cases: Houses - 8,009 Business - 5,205 Persons - 665 Bus company running outside metropolitan area - 268 Taxi - 173 Transportation provider - 95 Schools - 86 Bus company running in metropolitan areas - 84 Trailer truck - 38 Other - 36 Unknown victim - 21 Prison - 10 Bus school - 9 Hospital - 7 Government Office - 3 Church - 3 Musical group - 2 Home invasions by armed groups continue to occur in upscale neighborhoods. There were 511 reported residential robberies in 2018 compared to 628 in 2017, an 18% reduction.