Murders, kidnappings and armed robberies were for years common currency in Petare, one of the poorest areas of Caracas. "Before, you had to look behind your back to make sure no one was following you to rob you, now everything feels safer," says a business owner in from Cota 905, another slum in Caracas. Despite a significant drop in homicides nationwide, a new fear has taken hold in the Venezuelan capital's colorful slum, with gangs ruthlessly extorting money in the poorest barrios. "Crime evolves and adapts to the social, political and economic realities that have been happening in Venezuela" explains criminologist Luis Izquiel, "many gangs that were dedicated to express kidnapping are now dedicated to extortion." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES