An international three-day conference is taking place in El Salvador to examine ways of resolving increasing crime and violence in Central America and the Caribbean.

In El Salvador, which has the highest per capita murder rate in the continent, more people are being killed than at any time during the civil war.

And in Guatemala, violence has risen so much the authorities have re-introduced capital punishment for some crimes.

The BBC correspondent in El Salvador says the challenge for the experts, politicians and public security officials attending the meeting is to find constructive and lasting ways of tackling crime.