These harrowingly intimate photographs reveal the daily violence of El Salvador's slum gangs. In poor parts of the Latin American country's capital, young people often say they have just two futures - either they can join the Mara Salvatrucha gang, or its deadly rivals Barrio 18 (18th Street). Despite the dangers, Czech photojournalist Jan Sochor spent three years among the gangs and police in San Salvador compiling an unprecedented picture of the unrest and despair they have caused. Scroll down for video . Slums: Czech photojournalist Jan Sochor spent three years among the gangs and police of El Salvador, compiling an unprecedented picture of the nation's unrest . Hunt: A policeman with El Salvador's special emergency unit, Halcones, chases two gang suspects down an alleyway between tin huts in the capital San Salvador . Tattoed: A gang suspect lies detained on the floor in a crime-ridden part of the Soyapango neighbourhood. Mr Sochor said the tattoos reminded him of warriors . No Christmas: This arrest by an anti-gang unit was made in December 2013, and a forlorn decorated tree can be seen inside next to ordinary household possessions . Intimacy: A Barrio 18 gang suspect gives a goodbye kiss to his wife in Soyapango, San Salvador, as he is detained in a night raid by an elite police unit . The 39-year-old said that although the murder rate in the country has dropped significantly - after a truce between the two major street gangs was agreed in 2012 - many people say crime is still rampant. Despite the truce, he said the gangs never stopped their criminal activities, including extortion, wholesale drug dealing and kidnapping. Mr Sochor, who began his Chasing The Homeboys project in 2011, said: 'Since I first stepped into Rio de Janeiro twelve years ago, Latin America has become a major inspiration for my photography work. From then on, I have been working and living in various Latin American countries. 'I stay focused on photojournalism with an intention to portray truthfully Latin America and its social, cultural and everyday phenomenons in all their complexity.' Based in Quito, Ecuador, Mr Sochor completed another project called Fear In El Salvador earlier in 2011. The photographer was partly inspired into his work after seeing pictures of the Mara gang members in the 1990s, their faces and bodies heavily tattooed. Armed: Mr Sochor went on night raids with police in San Salvador. Mr Sochor began his Chasing The Homeboys project in 2011 and said things have barely improved . Under arrest: A gang member is detained by police. Despite a truce, some say the gangs never stopped their criminal activities, including extortion and kidnap . 'They reminded me of the ancient tribe warriors,' Mr Sochor said. 'I followed the night patrols and raids of the anti-gang police unit in San Salvador' 'No one can leave the gang,' a local policeman told the Czech photographer. 'Once you get to the gang, it is a commitment to the end of your life' Bloodthirsty: The murder rate in San Salvador dropped after a truce between the rival gangs in 2012, but many residents say crime continues unabated . 'They reminded me of the ancient tribe warriors,' he said. 'I followed the night patrols and raids of the anti-gang Police unit in San Salvador, a troop that fights directly the major street gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street Gang.' Mr Sochor said he has not seen many signs of positive change. 'Although I wish I could say the things are getting better in El Salvador, especially issues related to gangs and violence, I cannot say that,' he said. 'From my point of view, violence is still the main issues in people's daily lives.' The photojournalist found one incident particularly memorable. 'In 2011 I was shooting in a gang neighbourhood,' he said.' I met a young man on the street, a Barrio 18 gang member, with his face completely tattooed. He was barely 18 or 20 years old. Holding a bible in his hand, he was going to the local church for the mass. Remains: An abandoned apartment used by gang members as a refuge which was stumbled upon by police officers on a night raid in the capital San Salvador . 'After three years, I found myself in the same neighbourhood where I had met the tattooed man,' the photographer said. 'I found a local policeman and asked about the tattoed man. "He's dead. A year ago he was killed by people from his gang. He knew too much," the cop just shrugged' Violence: The Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs agreed a truce in 2012 which reportedly involved the government. But some details still remain a secret . 'I started to work on several themes there,' the photographer said. 'The more time I am spending there, I am becoming more involved with the people' 'After finishing his three-year sentence for killing a boy from a rival gang, he turned to God in the prison and swore he had left the gang.' 'But a local cop with whom I shared my experience told me: "No one can leave the gang... Once you get to the gang, it is a commitment to the end of your life."' 'After three years, I found myself in the same neighbourhood where I had met the tattooed man. I found a local policeman and asked about the tattoed man. "He's dead. A year ago he was killed by people from his gang. He knew too much,"  the cop just shrugged.' The sad incident made the photographer even keener to document the country. 'I started to work on several themes there,' he said.' The more time I am spending there, I am becoming more involved with the people, and the more stories I find to tell. I would like to keep working in El Salvador in the future.' Marked: The gangs show their territory by leaving graffiti on walls. The violence has continued for many years despite the efforts of police and the government . Colourful: The neighbourhoods are lively, but they are also plagued by crime. Some wealthy people hire private security and drive bulletproof cars . Surprisingly to many, initial reports suggested the truce had an effect. The crime rate dropped some 70 per cent. But not all citizens of San Salvador are in agreement . Reading his rights: A woman looks on as specialist police handcuff a suspected gang member in the night - keeping their weapons at the ready as he lies on the floor . Home: But Mr Sochor said there were positive moments: 'Eating hot "pupusas", traditional Salvadoran handmade corn tortillas, during the long chilly nights' And there were enjoyable times too, he said - 'maybe eating hot "pupusas", traditional Salvadoran handmade corn tortillas, while following the policemen on the patrol during the long chilly nights.' Mr Sochor is one of many angry about the 2012 truce, saying he cannot judge whether it was effective as the conditions were never fully revealed to the public. 'I witnessed what ordinary Salvadoran people say and according to them, the truce is a cheat and it does not work,' he said. 'The main reason for their disillusion seems to be the fact that the gangs have never stopped their criminal activities, including extortions, distribution of drugs and kidnappings.' In April officials said the murder rate, which dropped from 14 to five per day after the truce, had risen to nine per day since January. Members of the Mara 18 gang have orders to take revenge against police and soldiers who wound or kill one of their own, officials added. Public Safety Minister Ricardo Perdomo said: 'If there is a shootout with police and a gang member is killed or wounded, the whole gang has to take revenge on the officer who fired against that gang member, that's the order.' Between January and April there were 61 attacks on police in El Salvador, up from 30 in the same period of 2013. An estimated 20,000 Salvadorans belong to street gangs that deal drugs and extort businesses. For more information visit jansochor.com.
Czech photographer Jan Sochor spent three years documenting rivals from Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street Gang .
The two gangs are described as the only future available to some children living in deprived areas of El Salvador .
One heavily-tattooed teenager swore to leave his gang and turned to God - but was killed for 'knowing too much'
These harrowingly intimate photographs reveal the daily violence of El Salvador's slum gangs. In poor parts of the Latin American country's capital, young people often say they have just two futures - either they can join the Mara Salvatrucha gang, or its deadly rivals Barrio 18 (18th Street). Despite the dangers, Czech photojournalist Jan Sochor spent three years among the gangs and police in San Salvador compiling an unprecedented picture of the unrest and despair they have caused. Scroll down for video . Slums: Czech photojournalist Jan Sochor spent three years among the gangs and police of El Salvador, compiling an unprecedented picture of the nation's unrest . Hunt: A policeman with El Salvador's special emergency unit, Halcones, chases two gang suspects down an alleyway between tin huts in the capital San Salvador . Tattoed: A gang suspect lies detained on the floor in a crime-ridden part of the Soyapango neighbourhood. Mr Sochor said the tattoos reminded him of warriors . No Christmas: This arrest by an anti-gang unit was made in December 2013, and a forlorn decorated tree can be seen inside next to ordinary household possessions . Intimacy: A Barrio 18 gang suspect gives a goodbye kiss to his wife in Soyapango, San Salvador, as he is detained in a night raid by an elite police unit . The 39-year-old said that although the murder rate in the country has dropped significantly - after a truce between the two major street gangs was agreed in 2012 - many people say crime is still rampant. Despite the truce, he said the gangs never stopped their criminal activities, including extortion, wholesale drug dealing and kidnapping. Mr Sochor, who began his Chasing The Homeboys project in 2011, said: 'Since I first stepped into Rio de Janeiro twelve years ago, Latin America has become a major inspiration for my photography work. From then on, I have been working and living in various Latin American countries. 'I stay focused on photojournalism with an intention to portray truthfully Latin America and its social, cultural and everyday phenomenons in all their complexity.' Based in Quito, Ecuador, Mr Sochor completed another project called Fear In El Salvador earlier in 2011. The photographer was partly inspired into his work after seeing pictures of the Mara gang members in the 1990s, their faces and bodies heavily tattooed. Armed: Mr Sochor went on night raids with police in San Salvador. Mr Sochor began his Chasing The Homeboys project in 2011 and said things have barely improved . Under arrest: A gang member is detained by police. Despite a truce, some say the gangs never stopped their criminal activities, including extortion and kidnap . 'They reminded me of the ancient tribe warriors,' Mr Sochor said. 'I followed the night patrols and raids of the anti-gang police unit in San Salvador' 'No one can leave the gang,' a local policeman told the Czech photographer. 'Once you get to the gang, it is a commitment to the end of your life' Bloodthirsty: The murder rate in San Salvador dropped after a truce between the rival gangs in 2012, but many residents say crime continues unabated . 'They reminded me of the ancient tribe warriors,' he said. 'I followed the night patrols and raids of the anti-gang Police unit in San Salvador, a troop that fights directly the major street gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street Gang.' Mr Sochor said he has not seen many signs of positive change. 'Although I wish I could say the things are getting better in El Salvador, especially issues related to gangs and violence, I cannot say that,' he said. 'From my point of view, violence is still the main issues in people's daily lives.' The photojournalist found one incident particularly memorable. 'In 2011 I was shooting in a gang neighbourhood,' he said.' I met a young man on the street, a Barrio 18 gang member, with his face completely tattooed. He was barely 18 or 20 years old. Holding a bible in his hand, he was going to the local church for the mass. Remains: An abandoned apartment used by gang members as a refuge which was stumbled upon by police officers on a night raid in the capital San Salvador . 'After three years, I found myself in the same neighbourhood where I had met the tattooed man,' the photographer said. 'I found a local policeman and asked about the tattoed man. "He's dead. A year ago he was killed by people from his gang. He knew too much," the cop just shrugged' Violence: The Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs agreed a truce in 2012 which reportedly involved the government. But some details still remain a secret . 'I started to work on several themes there,' the photographer said. 'The more time I am spending there, I am becoming more involved with the people' 'After finishing his three-year sentence for killing a boy from a rival gang, he turned to God in the prison and swore he had left the gang.' 'But a local cop with whom I shared my experience told me: "No one can leave the gang... Once you get to the gang, it is a commitment to the end of your life."' 'After three years, I found myself in the same neighbourhood where I had met the tattooed man. I found a local policeman and asked about the tattoed man. "He's dead. A year ago he was killed by people from his gang. He knew too much,"  the cop just shrugged.' The sad incident made the photographer even keener to document the country. 'I started to work on several themes there,' he said.' The more time I am spending there, I am becoming more involved with the people, and the more stories I find to tell. I would like to keep working in El Salvador in the future.' Marked: The gangs show their territory by leaving graffiti on walls. The violence has continued for many years despite the efforts of police and the government . Colourful: The neighbourhoods are lively, but they are also plagued by crime. Some wealthy people hire private security and drive bulletproof cars . Surprisingly to many, initial reports suggested the truce had an effect. The crime rate dropped some 70 per cent. But not all citizens of San Salvador are in agreement . Reading his rights: A woman looks on as specialist police handcuff a suspected gang member in the night - keeping their weapons at the ready as he lies on the floor . Home: But Mr Sochor said there were positive moments: 'Eating hot "pupusas", traditional Salvadoran handmade corn tortillas, during the long chilly nights' And there were enjoyable times too, he said - 'maybe eating hot "pupusas", traditional Salvadoran handmade corn tortillas, while following the policemen on the patrol during the long chilly nights.' Mr Sochor is one of many angry about the 2012 truce, saying he cannot judge whether it was effective as the conditions were never fully revealed to the public. 'I witnessed what ordinary Salvadoran people say and according to them, the truce is a cheat and it does not work,' he said. 'The main reason for their disillusion seems to be the fact that the gangs have never stopped their criminal activities, including extortions, distribution of drugs and kidnappings.' In April officials said the murder rate, which dropped from 14 to five per day after the truce, had risen to nine per day since January. Members of the Mara 18 gang have orders to take revenge against police and soldiers who wound or kill one of their own, officials added. Public Safety Minister Ricardo Perdomo said: 'If there is a shootout with police and a gang member is killed or wounded, the whole gang has to take revenge on the officer who fired against that gang member, that's the order.' Between January and April there were 61 attacks on police in El Salvador, up from 30 in the same period of 2013. An estimated 20,000 Salvadorans belong to street gangs that deal drugs and extort businesses. For more information visit jansochor.com.
photojournalist Jan Sochor spent three years 2011. The photographer was partly inspired into gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street the things are getting better in El Salvador, from his gang. He knew too much," the cop just boy from a rival gang, he turned to God in the