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SARAJEVO, March 28 (FENA) - The global health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has affected almost all spheres of social life. Comprehensive lifestyle changes have also accelerated changes in crime spheres.
Numerous institutions and organizations around the world have seen a decline in certain types of criminal activity, such as theft, and an increase in others such as domestic violence.
Many criminology experts agree that the coronavirus pandemic is one of the best examples of a global criminology study. At a time when we are entering the second year of restrictive measures, it is necessary to look back at the changes that the pandemic has brought in this aspect.
For example, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its report on the crime rate during the pandemic, released last year, recorded a significant drop in homicides in Colombia, 32 percent, and Guatemala, 26 percent, during the lockdown period from March to April 2020.
These two South American countries are taken as an example because they have one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
However, UNODC also noted that this change was short-lived as the number of homicides returned to pre-pandemic levels shortly after the restrictions were lifted in June last year.
The UN is not the only institution that has dealt with this problem. The European Union's law enforcement agency, Europol, also released a report on how the pandemic has affected crime rates within Europe and the EU.
Like the UN, Europol noted the return of these crimes to pre-pandemic levels immediately after the lifting of restrictions. Europol also recorded an increase in cases of supermarket robberies throughout the pandemic period.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, in this regard, registers an increased number of certain criminal offenses in the pandemic year.
Thus, the FBiH Police Administration in its report records an increase in criminal offenses of organized crime compared to 2018 and 2019. Compared to 2019, that number is almost 57 percent higher, or 21 percent compared to 2018.
In their report, it is evident that the number of murders increased during 2020, by 45 percent compared to 2018, or 11 percent compared to 2019.
While the number of thefts remained relatively the same over a three-year period, 2020 saw a large increase in a burglary that could be linked to the European trend reported by Europol.
Thus, the Sarajevo Canton recorded an increase in the number of criminal offenses against the property of 29.6 percent in the period January-September 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
However, the Ministry of the Interior of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton announced that the number of criminal offenses had decreased since March 17, 2020.
There are noticeable differences from canton to canton, given that, for example, in Una-Sana Canton, the number of violent crimes has remained relatively equal over the past three years, i.e. the pandemic has not had much impact.
On the other hand, an increased rate of domestic violence has been reported worldwide. This is also caused by restrictive measures and government orders to spend as much time as possible in homes to combat the spread of the infection.
The American magazine Time published an article last month about the sharp rise in the rate of reporting domestic violence from January 2020.
Although numerous organizations in BiH warn of an increase in domestic violence during the pandemic, official statistics of some institutions show a decrease in reported cases.
Thus, the FBiH Police Administration records the lowest number of reported cases of domestic violence in the last three years. Last year, that number was lower by six percent compared to 2018, or 14 percent compared to 2019.
Similar figures can be seen in the reports of the cantonal Interior Ministries, where, for example, in the Sarajevo canton there is a decline of 12 percent in the period from January to September 2020 compared to the same period 2019.
On the other hand, the Una-Sana and Herzegovina-Neretva cantons record a slight increase in the number of reported cases of domestic violence.
Numerous international organizations have expressed concern in this regard because they feel that victims of domestic violence are reluctant to report their abusers, especially during the pandemic when communication outside their home is difficult.
(FENA) A. B.
