New Orleans placed on murder list

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- New Orleans has been placed on a list of cities with the world's highest murder rates, according to global crime statistics.

The list of "murder capitals of the world," published by Foreign Policy magazine, estimates that New Orleans has on average from 67 to 95 homicides per 100,000 per year. The 67 figure is from the New Orleans Police Department and the 95 figure is from the FBI, Foreign Policy reported.

New Orleans' average murder rate puts it in the company of cities like Cape Town, South Africa, which averages 62 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants yearly, and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, which averages a murder rate of 54 per 100,000 people, according to statistics compiled by Foreign Policy.

Topping out the recently published list was Caracas, Venezuela, where the homicide rate averages 130 per 100,000 residents per year. Moscow, Russia, was also placed on the list with a significantly lower rate of 9.6 murders per 100,000 people.

Critics say New Orleans' high murder rate is a result of the crime wave that overtook the city after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Despite the ongoing rebuilding effort, New Orleans has been gripped by extensive poverty and violence associated with drugs.