Socio-demographic factors in the dynamics of criminal behaviour: descriptive analysis of criminality in Colombia, year 2022

Abstract

The main objective of this descriptive and analytical study is to present criminal behaviour in Colombia for 2022, from a quantitative approach used for the extraction, analysis and interpretation of the administrative records of the Statistical, Criminal, Contraventional and Operational Information System (SIEDCO), constituting an input for those interested in the study of criminal dynamics, as well as for those responsible for designing strategies for the containment of crime and the generation of public policy on security. In this sense, and within the framework of socio-demographic dynamics, the first part of the paper deals in a general way with the process of homogenisation of administrative records carried out by the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office. The second part, with special emphasis on intentional homicide, presents the analysis of the information that made it possible to identify the main variables that influence the commission of the crime, according to the figures contained in SIEDCO, in the period between 1 January and 31 December 2022, compared with the same period in 2021, in which the crimes that affect the personal integrity and economic patrimony of those who live in Colombian territory are detailed; considerable increases were found in these and the factors of opportunity for their commission are highlighted, contrary to the situation that was evidenced in the affectations to life and integrity, a group of conducts that, according to what was recorded, decreased in the period analysed. Finally, we offer a contribution to containment from the police activity and a series of conclusions that allow us to broaden the vision of the diverse phenomena and enrich the generation of knowledge in the field of criminology.