The effect of the Covid-19 disease and social distance on crime rates (Case study: Tehran province)

The prevalence of Covid-19 infectious disease and social distance have had a profound effect on the rates of various crimes. In this article, we try to influence the current situation on the rates of some crimes such as Theft, Intentional serious bodily injury, Drug addiction, Organized fraud, Disruption of public order and comfort, Child abuse, Participation in mass conflict, Snatching and pick pocketing in Tehran province and severa l important cities of this province, namely Tehran, Damavand, Shahr-e Rey, Shahriyar, Pakdasht, Islamshahr, Varamin and Mallard should be studied. Initially, the data related to the crimes studied in this study, which were reported to the police in Tehran province in the days after the spread of the disease and the beginning of measures related to social distancing and in the period from March 2019 to the end of October 2020, were collected through official institutions. Then, the available data related to the mentioned crimes with the same period in the previous year, i.e., the beginning of July 2019 to the end of February 2019 were collected in the same province. In order to better understand how the current situation affects the crime rate, the data related to several important cities of this province were separated from each other and then both periods were compared in terms of changes in the number of crimes studied in the cities in this study. Descriptive statistics method was used to analyze the data. To compare the situation of cities and Tehran province in terms of crime before and after the corona, the index of relative growth of crime in the post-corona period compared to before the corona has been calculated. The prevalence of Covid-19 disease and the social order of social distancing have had different effects on different crimes. During the outbreak of this disease, all the crimes studied in the present study in Tehran province decreased and only the crime of drug addiction increased. The change in crime rates, both in Tehran province and in different cities of this province, varies depending on the type of crime. Findings confirm that social constraints have changed the patterns of daily activities and the opportunity structures created as a result of these changes have changed the crime rate. These findings underscore the need for public awareness of the increased risk of domestic violence, especially child abuse during outbreaks, the need to strengthen education on how to respond more effectively and safely to social emergency requests, and the encouragement of domestic violence reporting, provide facilities for faster reporting of domestic violence and child abuse, launch online social assistance services, build happy television programs, and increase alternative forms of empowering community observers.