Covid-19: some criminal effects with an impact on coexistence and security in Colombia

Abstract

The aim of this text is to analyse the early impacts on security in Colombia, in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, based on the registration of the first case of contagion in the country. Within the framework of an empirical-analytical research and a qualitative and quantitative review of primary and secondary sources, the question is: how did crime (homicide, theft), looting of commercial establishments, prison emergencies, computer crimes, actions of illegal armed groups and domestic violence function in the early context of the covid-19 pandemic in Colombia? To approach an answer, we used an inductive method based on official figures, which resulted in the manifestation of a significant change in relation to the pre-pandemic period and the first phases of manifestation of social restrictions due to covid-19; which allowed us to conclude that, in contexts of exceptionality, security indicators experienced significant variations, particularly early on, which is functional for the correction of protocols and manuals for the decision-making process based on a prospective approach.