Montería, Colombia: Police Rescue Domestic Violence Victim as City Reports Shift in Homicide Causes

Police from the Metropolitan Police of Montería responded to an emergency call and intervened in a domestic‑violence incident in the Nueva Jerusalén neighbourhood. Officers found a 35‑year‑old man strangling his partner and, after using established procedures, captured him and rescued the woman. Both were taken to a local medical centre for evaluation, and the suspect was handed over to the prosecutor’s office for further legal action.

In the same period, the city's police commander presented homicide statistics for the first half of 2026. Montería recorded 30 murders, a slight increase from the previous year, but the city’s homicide rate remains low nationally at 3.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. The police noted a change in the leading causes of these killings: nine were linked to "social intolerance" – disputes arising from everyday conflicts – while 16 were still attributed to contract killings (sicariato). The shift prompted authorities to focus on preventive measures for interpersonal conflicts alongside ongoing investigations of organized‑crime homicides.