This paper studies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown on criminal activity in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Following quarantine restrictions, we find a large, significant, robust, and immediate decline in property crime reported to official agencies, police arrests, and crime reported in victimization surveys. We observe no significant change in homicides, and a significant increase in arrests for “resistance to authorities”. The decrease in criminal activity was greater in business and transportation areas, but still large in commercial and residential areas (including informal settlements). After the sharp and immediate fall, crime recovered but, by the end of 2020, it had not reached its initial levels. The arrest data additionally shows a reduction in the distance from the detainee's address to the crime location, and a fall in the number of detainees from outside the City of Buenos Aires. Crime became more local as mobility was restricted.

中文翻译：

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封锁下的犯罪：COVID-19 对布宜诺斯艾利斯市公民安全的影响


本文研究了 COVID-19 大流行的影响以及随后对阿根廷布宜诺斯艾利斯市犯罪活动的封锁。在隔离限制之后，我们发现向官方机构报告的财产犯罪、警察逮捕和受害调查中报告的犯罪立即大幅、显着、强劲和下降。我们观察到凶杀案没有显着变化，但因“抵抗当局”而被捕的人数显着增加。商业和交通领域的犯罪活动减少幅度更大，但商业和住宅区（包括非正规住区）的犯罪活动减少幅度仍然很大。在急剧下降之后，犯罪率有所回升，但到 2020 年底，犯罪率尚未达到最初水平。逮捕数据还显示，被拘留者地址到犯罪地点的距离缩短了，来自布宜诺斯艾利斯市以外的被拘留者人数也减少了。由于流动性受到限制，犯罪变得更加本地化。