Honduras detains hundreds in crime crackdown

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (CNN) -- More than 5,000 soldiers and police have fanned out across Honduras to fight a wave of violent crime that also has swept across El Salvador and Guatemala.

The Honduran government launched "Operation Hunter" in response to public anger over rising violent crime. The goal is to stem a tide of violence that results in about 10 slayings a day in the Central American nation of 7.5 million.

Soldiers and police have detained hundreds of people so far -- and authorities say they plan to keep it up for some time.

Security forces board public buses to check identification cards and see whether any passengers have weapons, said police official Santos Sierra.

In some places, authorities have set curfews as early as 2 p.m.

Frustration over crime has sent people to the streets to ask for more protection. About two dozen protesters stood atop a roadside hill recently, carrying blue-and-white Honduran flags and signs such as one that said, "No More Deaths."

"It would be healthy if they sent us police every day because you just can't live in this area" because of frequent crime, said teacher Irma Ferrufino Sandoval.

Violent crime has increased dramatically in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala since the 1990s, according to a U.N. report titled "Crime and Development in Central America."

The report cites the proliferation of gangs as one reason for the increase. It estimates Honduras' gang membership at 36,000. E-mail to a friend

All About Honduras • Crime • Gang Violence