According to the latest statistical report on crime, the monthly murder rate stood at 8.49 at the close of July.

The report also states that 29 territories show single-digit figures, while five record double-digit rates.

Based on this data, 85.3 percent of the country maintains an incidence rate equal to or lower than 9.99 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

The Joint Task Force—comprising the Armed Forces, the National Police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and state security agencies—attributed the downward trend to intelligence operations, crime prosecution, targeted patrolling, and inter-agency coordination.

The Joint Task Force noted that the results show a sustained trend of declining violent deaths and highlighted the monitoring of these indicators as part of citizen security policies.

However, behind every figure lies a lost life and an affected family. Therefore, the challenge lies not merely in celebrating the drop in the indicator, but in sustaining it.

jdt/mar/mpv