A new survey by the CID Gallup consultancy revealed that Ecuador is the Latin American country where its citizens feel most insecure on the streets at night.
64% of those surveyed answered that they did not feel safe, while 35% answered that they did. Just five years ago, Ecuador was among the countries in the region where citizens felt safer (52%) and Venezuela obtained the worst results, says Gallup.
Illicit training centers for criminal gangs are spreading along the coast; In less than a year the Police detected spaces in Guayas and Santa Elena
The consultant detailed the escalation of gang violence, drug trafficking and civil unrest affect these responses.
“The boom in cocaine production in Colombia, cuts in Ecuador’s prison budgets and the elimination of the Ministry of Justice, among other factors, have made the State less capable of controlling the effects of international drug trafficking” , Gallup noted.
The situation is critical in the West Coast states, a recent epicenter of drug trafficking, where almost three-quarters (73%) of those surveyed by Gallup do not feel safe walking alone.
In addition, Ecuadorians’ trust in the local police and judicial system has fallen to the lowest levels in more than a decade.
According to the survey, around two out of five (41%) Ecuadorians in 2022 trusted the local police, and 24% in justice.
1,000 people participated in the survey and the data was collected between July 11 and August 22, 2022. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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