Only 16 of the 84 cantons of Costa Rica were free of murders in 2022. With 656 lives claimed by murder this past year, the country suffered a historical record for the most homicides. 73% of the murders were concentrated in 20 cantons.
Six of the seven provinces had at least one of their cantons free of murders. The exception was Limon. The safest canton seems to be Hojancha de Guanacaste, which is about to celebrate 18 years without a single murder. Limon, on the other hand, had 63 murders in 2022.
Vasquez de Coronado celebrates the first year in a decade that it finally had no murders. There were nine there in 2021. The mayor of that canton thanks greater coordination for preventive work between the Public Force and Municipal Police. He also mentioned that 16 cameras have been installed in the area and are monitored in the Delegation of the Public Force.
Mora is a canton that historically has low crime. In the last decade it has not seen more than three murders in any year. In 2012, 2019, and 2022, it had zero. Its mayor explained that 16 Municipal Police officers work 24-hour shifts and coordinate with the Public Force on highway checkpoints and inter-police actions to stop crime. They also have a surveillance system with security cameras. They believe in increasing education, culture, technology, and programs that keep young people busy and learning skills instead of putting more police officers on the street.
