Serious crime increased almost 28 percent nationwide in 2001, with the most dramatic increase in Santiago, particularly in the downtown and northeastern neighborhoods. Providencia, a neighborhood near the U.S. Embassy, showed the highest increase in the country at 112 percent. Robbery in the same neighborhood was up 182 percent. Not surprisingly, the areas experiencing the biggest increase in robberies and assaults are places frequented by tourists and expatriates. Reports of stolen U.S. passports were up almost 100 percent for the summer season (December through March). Fortunately, while robberies of Americans are up, only one robbery with physical assault was reported in the past six months.
