Give or take a few thousand murders each year, here are some recent homicide numbers from Mexico:

Total number of murders since December 2012: 15,352
Total number of murders in 2012: 21,768
Total number of murders in 2011: 22,856
Total number of murders in 2010: 20,681

In December 2012, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced he would shift the Mexican government’s focus from pursuing cartel leaders to reducing crime against citizens. These include crimes like extortion, kidnapping and murder.

With up to 17,000 homicides projected for the year, analysts expect murder rates to be their lowest since 2009. Of course, that all depends on the data you’re looking at.

Read more here at the Fronteras Desk.