Guinness World Records 2018

Crime & Punishment

SOCIETY

HIGHEST RATE

OF MURDER

PER CAPITA

Honduras endured

90.4 murders per

100,000 citizens

in 2012, according

to a global study

published by the

United Nations.

Nigeria reported the

highest absolute

number of murders

• 33,817 – though
  owing to its larger
  population this
  worked out at
  “only” 20 per
  100,000 people.

Market analysts predict that by 2019 the cost of global

cyber crime will exceed $2.1 tr (£1.4 tr).

Car theft: 502.8

Uruguay

Burglary (theft from

property after forced

entry): 1,506.7

Netherlands

Robbery (theft of

property from an

individual): 1 , 529. 3

Belgium

Assault (non-fatal

physical attack on an

individual): 1,324.7

Grenada

Highest crime rates

per capita (figures

per 100,000 people),

according to the UN

Office on Drugs and

Crime Report 2014

First stalker of a celebrity

Edward Jones (UK) stalked Queen Victoria from

1838 until 1841, repeatedly entering Buckingham

Palace to spy on her and steal her underwear.

Forced into service in the Royal Navy, “the boy

Jones” eventually moved to Australia, where

he became the town crier of Perth.

Longest serving executioner

William Calcraft (UK) served as public

executioner for 45 years between 1829 and 18 74.

He officiated at nearly every outdoor and indoor

hanging at Newgate Prison in London, UK.

Most profitable sea pirate

Born in England in 1689, Samuel Bellamy found

lasting notoriety as the pirate “Black Sam”. In

just two years, 1715–17, he commandeered more

than 50 ships in the Caribbean and Atlantic and

amassed a fortune worth more than £105 m

($135 m) in today’s money. Having seized the

slave ship Whydah, Bellamy perished when it

sank on its way back to port on 26 Apr 1717.

Highest cost of piracy

on the high seas in a year

The World Bank estimated the economic cost of

piracy off the coast of the east African country

of Somalia to be approximately $18 bn (£14.4 bn)

in 2013. This exceeded the previous record total

of $7–11 bn (£5.6–8.8 bn), set in 2011.

Rather than lose ships and crews, commercial

shipping companies and their insurers often pay

ransoms. In 2010, a total of $238 m (£153.8 m)

was paid out in this fashion – the highest

ransoms paid to pirates in a year. The average

cost of each incident was $5.4 m (£3.49 m).

Highest hijack ransom

The Greek-flagged M/T Irene SL, a Very Large

Crude Carrier (VLCC) transporting two million

barrels of oil, was hijacked by Somali pirates on

9 Feb 2011 off the coast of Oman. After her

25-man crew was held captive for 58 days,

a ransom of $13.5 m (£8.3 m) was paid to

secure the ship’s safe return.

Largest diamond heist

In Feb 2003, a group of thieves robbed the vault

of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, escaping

with more than $100 m (£82 m) in diamonds,

gems and other jewellery. The Italian gang, led

by mastermind Leonardo Notarbartolo, was

later apprehended. The vast majority of the

diamonds, however, have never been recovered.

Most kidnaps per country (per capita)

According to data collected by the United

Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for 2014,

Lebanon experienced 18.371 kidnappings for

every 100,000 citizens. Belgium was second

with 9.959 and Luxembourg third with 9.343.

Richest insurgency group

Designated a terrorist organization by the United

Nations, Daesh, aka the Islamic State of Iraq and

Syria (ISIS), had a net worth estimated at $2 bn

(£1.64 bn) by Forbes in 2014. Much of the group’s

money comes from the illegal sale of oil, as well

as smuggling, extortion and robbery. When it

took control of the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014,

ISIS seized funds from the city’s bank worth

more than $300 m (£256 m).

Smallest prison

With a population of around 600 people, the

island of Sark is the smallest of the UK’s four

main Channel Islands. Its prison, built in 1856,

has a maximum capacity of two inmates.

Largest DNA database

The National DNA Index System (NDIS) was

created by the FBI in 1994. As of Apr 2016, it

contained 12.2 million offender profiles (genetic

profiles of known criminals), 2.6 million arrestee

profiles and 684,000 forensic profiles (pieces of

crime-scene evidence).

Most criminals positively identified

from the composites of one artist

Between Jun 1982 and May 2016, a total of

751 criminals were positively identified and

brought to justice in Texas, USA, thanks to

detailed composites drawn by forensic artist

Lois Gibson (USA). She honed her skills sketching

tourist portraits in San Antonio, Texas, before

starting work for the Houston Police Department.

FASTEST POLICE CAR IN SERVICE

To keep up with the sports cars of their wealthy citizens, in

Apr 2016 police in Dubai decided to invest $1.6 m (£1.09 m)

in one of the most powerful production cars on the planet:

a Bugatti Veyron. With a blistering top speed of 407 km/h

(253 mph), its 1,000-hp (746-kW), 16-cylinder

engine launches the car from 0 to 60 mph

(0–96.5 km/h) in just 2.5 sec. This is even

quicker than the Lamborghini Gallardo,

which has been used by the Italian police.

Q: How many convicted

criminals did hangman

William Calcraft execute?

A: An estimated 450

The Dubai

police’s garage

is filled with high-

performance cars.

Beside the Veyron, they

have used a Lamborghini

Aventador, a McLaren

MP4-12C, an Aston

Martin One-77 and

two Ferrari^ FFs!

Deaths by firearms

versus

death by terrorism

Domestic gun crime

in the USA results in

a significantly higher

death toll than terrorism,

according to the US Centers

for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC)

440,095

deaths by

firearms

on US soil

between

2001 and

2014

3,412

deaths of

US citizens

• home and
  abroad – as
  a result of
  terrorism
  during the
  same period

Sources: CDC, CNN

Number of terrorist

attacks (2006–15)

2006:

14,371

2007:

14,414

2008:

11,662

2009:

10,969

2010:

11,604

2011:

10,283

2012:

6,771

2013:

9,96 4

2014:

13,482

2015:

11,774