UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations (UN) says the Caribbean is among global countries with the highest murder rates.

The UN-Habitat publication Enhancing Urban Safety And Security: Global Report On Human Settlements 2007, released Monday, addressed some of the most challenging threats to safety and security of urban dwellers worldwide.

"Urban violence and crime are increasing worldwide, giving rise to widespread fear and driving away investment in many cities," the study quotes UN chief Ban Ki-moon as saying.

"This is especially true in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean," he added.

The report said that in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 80 per cent of the population was urban, the rapidly expanding cities accounted for more than half of violent crimes in the respective countries.

In singling out Jamaica, the report said that the murder rate rose from 81 in 1970 to 40 per 100 000 in 2002, to 64 per 100 000 in 2005.

It attributed the rising crime partially to criminal deportation from the United States, noting that it had been adversely affecting the tourist industry and "contributed to brain drain".

Gang wars

"This has resulted in the 'transfer' of gang wars from the ghettos of Los Angeles to the streets of Latin America and Jamaica," the report said.

It added that poor people living in urban shanty towns were most affected by the surging crime rates, including the estimated 100 million street children living in world cities.

"The world's poor are the worst affected by urban crime and violence, insecurity of tenure and forced eviction, and natural and human-made disasters, regardless of their geographical location," the UN said.

"Insecurity affects the poor more intensely," said Anna Tibaijuka, the UN-Habitat director.

The report, released to mark World Habitat Day on Monday, called for effective urban planning, design and governance as a key measure to prevent crime.

The study said that over the past five years, 60 per cent of all urban residents in developing countries had been victims of crime. (CMC)