The legal system is inefficient and plagued with corruption. The police force is understaffed, with some 3,000 officers in a country of nearly 8 million people. Lissade, who previously worked as an attorney for Aristide, told Reuters. ''There will be change. We need it. We have to.
Rampant crime delivers another blow to the economy.
Apart from discouraging investors, crime and the need for protection against it is an extra expense small entrepreneurs can ill afford. Who restaurant and bar in the relatively affluent suburb of Petionville, has witnessed firsthand the impact of crime on people and their businesses. The insecurity is killing the nightlife,'' said Goldman, whose fiance was killed almost three years ago, shot in the head by a gang member as the couple returned home from work one night.