Populism

Most security experts make the point that crime is a multi-faceted phenomenon, caused by a combination of factors, more than any one single one, and depending on conditions that vary from country to country. Some add that anti-crime policies should be based on hard evidence rather than intuition or broad feelings among the voting public. Since the four countries we have focused on are all favouring iron fist policies it is useful to look at some of the pitfalls that have affected that approach elsewhere in Latin America.