Intervention in “The Bronx” Sector in Downtown Bogotá
Axios
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This intervention focused on an area of Bogotá called “The Bronx”, which was the epicenter of drug trafficking and organized crime structures, as well as an area of critical incidence of various types of crime. The Bronx was also characterized by its spatial segregation, disconnection with the rest of the city, high density of vulnerable population, illegal social order, and low social integration, among others.
In this context, on May 28, 2016, the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá intervened in the area through a joint work that aimed to combine focused intervention by security authorities with forced eviction actions and social prevention and resocialization programs offered through care centers, shelters, and others. For example, drug addiction treatment programs and assistance routes for minors residing in the area were established. Finally, the intervention was also accompanied by the implementation of a hotspot policing strategy targeting other crime hotspots around “The Bronx” area.

Impact evaluations

A quasi-experimental impact evaluation study found that the intervention generated a statistically significant reduction in crime in the intervention area (48.6% of thefts from persons, 44.8% of telephone thefts, 36.8% of bodily injuries, 29.8% of homicides, and 47.2% of vehicle thefts). In addition, the study also concluded that the intervention did not result in the displacement of crime to other areas. The geographic impacts are, at worst, small and short-lived [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Tenjo, N.P. Blowing up a rats nest: crime externalities of the police intervention of Bogot´a’s “The Bronx”. Universidad de los Andes (Working Paper). https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/server/api/core/bitstreams/53a4ca4f…

Information source