Like a clock ticking away, street thugs strike an average of once every hour, every day, in Costa Rica, according to statistics from the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) published this week in the daily La Nación.
Most of the muggings occurred in the urban area of San José, where a total of 3,327 cases were reported Jan. 1 – Aug. 30.
Officials estimate the number of robberies is actually much higher because many people do not report these crimes, the daily reported.