Coronavirus, Crime, and Policing

Thoughts on the implications of the lockdown rollercoaster

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on societies across the world. While much of the focus has been on the impact on health and financial wellbeing, crime patterns have also been affected. Correspondingly, police systems, policing, and the legal system within which the police operate, have also changed, less because of the changing crime pattern and more as the police have been empowered with policing health. This exploratory discussion looks at howcrime and policing have been affected by the pandemic and speculates about the long-termimpact when societies return to a new normal.