Crime in Peru has steadily decreased since the 2010s and into the 2020s. Peru's main indicators of crime are the homicide rate and the victimization rate; the victimization rate dropped from forty percent in 2011 to under twenty five percent in 2020.

Crime by type

Murder

In 2012, Peru had a murder rate of 9.6 per 100,000 population. There were a total of 1,986 murders in Peru in 2012.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; French language, French: ''Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime'') is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention ...

, 2013. By 2015, this had declined to 7.2-7.32 per 100,000, with 2,247 murders recorded.

Corruption

Peru's most prominent political corruption scandal is probably the case of

Alberto Fujimori Alberto Kenji Fujimori Fujimori (26 July 1938 – 11 September 2024) was a Peruvian politician, professor, and engineer who served as the 54th president of Peru from 1990 to 2000.* * * * * * * Born in Lima, Fujimori was the country's fir ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

's ex-President. Fujimori has been convicted of having ordered killings, embezzlement of public funds, abuse of power and corruption during his 10 years of presidency (1990–2000). In 2006, Fujimori fled to Japan with an alleged USD 600 million of public assets. He has been sentenced to a total of more than 30 years in prison.

Domestic violence

In 2006, Ministry of Women and Social Development (MIMDES) centers reported 25,036 cases of domestic violence in Peru. The centers helped an average of 2,067 men and women per month. MIMDES also operated a toll-free hot line, which handled 7,785 requests for assistance regarding family disturbances during 2006. Women's organizations noted that

alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse. This spectrum can range from being mild, moderate, or severe. This can look like consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per ...

and traditional attitudes toward women aggravated the problems of rape and

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

, particularly in rural areas. In November 2006, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

reported that 69 percent of Peruvian women said they had suffered from some form of physical violence in their lives.Report on Human Rights Practices 2006: Peru

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs (DRL) is a bureau within the United States Department of State. The bureau is under the purview of the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. History ...

(6 March 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

.'' A 2013 study by

University of San Martín de Porres The University of San Martin de Porres (USMP) is a private nonprofit university located in the city of Lima, Peru. It was founded by the Dominican Order of the Catholic Church in 1962. History The Dominican foundation: Pro Deo T ...

found that violence against women cost per $6.7 billion USD annually due to the loss of productivity.

Illegal drug trade

The illegal drug trade in Peru includes the growing of coca and the shipment of

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

to the United States. In 2013, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

reported that Peru had become the largest producer of

in the world.

Illegal logging

Law and justice system

The

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

is the main interior authority within Peru, overseeing the

Peruvian National Police The National Police of Peru (, PNP) is the national police force of Peru. Its jurisdiction covers the nation's land, sea, and air territories. Formed from the merger of the Investigative Police, the Civil Guard, and the Republican Guard in 1988 ...

. The Judicial Power of Peru oversees the

judiciary of Peru The judiciary of Peru is a branch of the government of Peru that interprets and applies the laws of Peru to ensure equal justice under law and provide a mechanism for dispute resolution. Its headquarters are located at the Javier Alzamora Valdez ...

, with the

Superior Courts of Justice of Peru The Superior Courts of Justice or Superior Sectors of Peru are the second highest courts of the Judicial system of Peru. It is only second to the Supreme Court of Peru. There is one court for each Judicial District which more or less correspond ...

assuming the role of trying criminal cases. The Instituto Nacional Penitenciario is the government authority tasked with the

incarceration Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...

of criminals within the country.

References

{{Americas topic, Crime in