Venezuela's new government faces serious challenges (2)

IMPROVING PUBLIC SECURITY IS TOUGH

In recent years, Venezuela has registered one of the highest crime rates in Latin America. Robberies and kidnappings have become common in the capital of Caracas, where newspapers carry news of political assassinations almost every day.

The deterioration of public security has not only hurt the tourism industry, but also made many foreign investors wary.

Residents interviewed by Xinhua said the retail industry in Caracas had shrunk, due to dwindling purchasing power and frequent lootings of supermarkets and grocery stores.

In the past 10 years, both the government and the private sector have invested little in housing construction. Therefore several newly completed residential buildings were illegally occupied by the homeless.

In the case of supermarket and store looting, police seemed reluctant to go after the perpetrators, alleging there was no law to prosecute the masses.

There is similar indifference to ousting the squatters, since according to government regulations, the authorities cannot expel people from a property if they have nowhere else to go.

To improve the country's image, Chavez's administration took several steps to combat crimes, including taking some 300,000 firearms off the streets in 10 years, but public security remains a problem.

Political observers said the new government should take necessary measures to lower the crime rate and restore order, as the security problem is related to social and political stability, the development of national economy and an improvement in the country's international image.