BBC
President Hugo Chavez has ordered 3,200 national guard troops into the streets of Caracas and the states of Vargas and Miranda to fight surging crime.
The troops are under a new command...called the People's Guard.
Last week...Chavez was publicly embarrassed by 2 high profile kidnappings.
A Chilean consul was taken in Caracas and beaten for 2 hours in the very common secuestros express...just days after the high profile USA athlete Wilson Ramos was kidnapped and held for 2 days...near Valencia.
Some experts claim Venezuela averages 3 kidnappings...daily.
Reported kidnappings increased from 52 in 1998...to 618 in 2009.
But a watchdog group claims...more than 16,000...were kidnapped that year.
Chavez is already running for re-election in 2012...and rampant crime under his regime is seen as his major challenging issue.
FOR MORE Details on kidnappings, See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/18/security-firms-kidnappings-venezuela
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