Crime and corona

Crime rates have been steadily falling ever since the coronavirus pandemic drove millions of people to stay at home. There has been no major terrorism incident recorded in any part of the world either, suggesting that the coronavirus has placed a dent in illicit businesses as well.

In the United States, one of the worst affected countries, there has been a nearly one-third decline in crime. In over two dozen states, police received fewer emergency calls, crime incidents and arrests in the last two weeks of March. There was a massive drop in traffic violations, personal stops, and drug offenses, while theft and burglaries also declined along with fewer jail bookings.

In Chicago, one of the most violent cities in US, the crime rate dropped ten percent after the lockdown, while there was a 42 percent decline in drug-related arrests. Even New York City, which has become the virus epicentre, there has been a double-digit decline in crime ever since the 1990s. Similarly, in Los Angeles crime rates have dropped almost 30 percent since mid-March.

Across Latin America, crime rates have dropped to a level unseen in decades. El Salvador, which has the highest homicide rate in the world, reported just two murders a day last month, down from a peak of 600 a few years ago. Even in Pakistan, there is a similar trend as many police stations have not registered a single case since the lockdown began.

While drug peddlers, criminals, and terrorists might also be taking precautions against the coronavirus, there has also been a change in policing due to the pandemic. Many officers are also getting sick and forced than making citations instead of making arrests and enforcing social distancing. The pandemic is just changing our lives but has raised concerns of a massive spike when restrictions are lifted.

Since people are under an extended lockdown, there are also concerns about domestic violence and aggravated assaults. This has raised alarm and the UN issued a statement about the rising number of unreported domestic abuse cases. It seems that coronavirus has been affecting us both adversely, with the loss of lives and economic slump, and positively with the decline in crimes and the time nature is taking to heal itself. We will only realise the situation if we learn valuable lessons after the pandemic is over.