The effect of Coronavirus on Crime

Headline Diplomat eJournal – Issue 1, Series 2
The perilous lenses of COVID-19: The sociopolitical impact
Writes Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ekwoma, Content Writer, Headline Diplomat eJournal, LUDCI.eu
Crime may seem to be on the decline as a result of the Coronavirus (officially called COVID-19) crisis. Naturally, it is expected that there be a decline in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the stay-at-home policy adopted by countries across the world.

Overall, crime is down 5.3 percent in 25 large American cities relative to the same period in 2019, with violent crime down by 2 percent. Crimes, such as murder, rape, and armed robbery have seen a steep decline – this has mainly to do with the stay-at-home orders. Karachi, one of Asia’s most crime-ridden cities, saw an entire week in March go by without any car theft. In Italy, one of the worst-hit countries in Europe, there was also a 66% decline in the crime rate in the same period. This decrease is also seen across other cities globally. According to David Abrams, Professor of Law and Business Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, “Across almost all of the cities examined, crime fell at a tremendous amount — a decrea...