March 27th marked the one-year anniversary of the implementation of El Salvador’s Regime of Exception, which resulted in 223 days without homicides. Of these, 162 were recorded between March 27 and December 31, 2022, while 61 were registered between January 1 and March 27 of this year, according to the National Civil Police (PNC).
President Nayib Bukele spoke about the success of the regime, saying «On the anniversary of the approval of the Regime of Exception, we close the day with 0 homicides. We will continue working for the safety of Salvadorans, even if ‘human rights’ NGOs complain.»
In a recent interview, Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro reported that in the year of the war on gangs, 227 homicides were recorded, with an average of 0.6 homicides per day, resulting in a rate of 3.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
The Plan Control Territorial (PCT) was implemented in June 2019, resulting in a historic decrease in homicides. The Regime of Exception further reduced the number of violent deaths, and now the population enjoys a greater sense of security as the state has regained control over territories that were held by terrorist groups for decades under previous administrations.
The Bukele administration has achieved 331 homicide-free days between June 2019 and March 27, 2023. In the current year, 36 homicides have been recorded, compared to 307 in the same period in 2022.
«The effectiveness of the police in solving cases will give us, as a society, government, and state, the confidence that we will maintain control over anyone who commits crimes against physical integrity,» said Villatoro.
The Regime of Exception is a legal tool used by the government to eradicate criminal structures. To date, 66,417 gang members have been captured by police and soldiers, along with 3,292 vehicles, 15,878 cell phones, $3 million in cash from extortion and drug sales, and 2,547 firearms.
According to the Salvadoran president, the incarceration of thousands of terrorists has led to a historic decrease in violent crime in the country. In 2022, there were 495 homicides nationwide, making it one of the safest years in recent history. Of these, 323 occurred before the implementation of the Regime of Exception, or 65% of the total. The remaining 35%, or 172 homicides, occurred after the measure was put into place.
President Bukele’s successful security plans have led El Salvador to be removed from the list of the world’s most violent countries, and it has become one of the safest nations in the Americas. On February 15 of this year, the Bukele administration marked 300 homicide-free days since 2019.