Murder rate soars in the home of Mickey Mouse

Last updated at 20:40 23 July 2006


It is the home of Mickey Mouse and it likes to call itself The City Beautiful, but FBI statistics disclose that Orlando's murder rate has soared 30 percent in the first six months of the year.

It is on track to become one of the 15  worst per capita murder cities in the United States.

In 2004 the tourist Mecca for the millions who flock to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World was only 107th in per capita killings.

There were just 22 killings last year.

Last weekend a Chevy Cobalt roared out of control in the middle of the afternoon and slammed into a tree.

When rescuers reached the driver they found he had been killed by a single gunshot to the head. He was victim  No 33 in the spiraling murder rate of a city with a population of 215,000.

So far the murders have not affected the tourists, but the alarmed Mayor Buddy Dyer, is pumping  about 60 million pounds into improving public safety.

Police Chief Mike McCoy commented: "If you are not selling drugs, if you don't house people selling drugs, if you don't have the proceeds of drugs in your home, then your chances of being involved in a homicide are pretty slim."               

Detectives said most of the killings were committed with handguns and most of the victims were young men involved with drugs.

Newly released FBI crime statistics shows a 2.5 per cent increase in violent crime nationwide -the largest since 1991- and a 4.8 per cent nationwide rise in murders.

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