myAIPMOpportunity knocks: How crime patterns can change during a pandemic
"The Coronavirus is likely to create new opportunities for crime as well as curtail others, says Professor Karl Roberts, a Consultant on Health Security and Policing for the World Health Organisation. Here, he examines the potential impact a pandemic can have on different crime types.
As the Covid-19 pandemic evolves governments have taken a range of unprecedented steps to try to limit the spread of infection. In most cases this has involved severe restrictions on movement with many individuals being required to remain at home.
Changing crime patterns may entail different staff deployment strategies, may identify skills gaps and related additional training needs.
As we collectively enter a new and uncertain time, it is perhaps important to consider the effect that this pandemic may have upon crime patterns, in particular the types of crime committed.
This article presents a brief consideration of some of the ways that crime might evolve during a pandemic. It explores how the types of crime committed might change as new opportunities for offending appear and others are curtailed by circumstances. Considerations of this sort are essential for police planners. Changing crime patterns may entail different staff deployment strategies, may identify skills gaps and related additional training needs. All of this in a context of, likely, reduced policing capacity due to illness and self-quarantine, where staff attrition rates may be between 10% to 90% of police staff."
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Prof Karl Roberts, Policing Insight, 2020
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