Temporal Variations in Calls for Police Service During COVID-19: Evidence From China

Abstract

This study examined the temporal variations in calls for service before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in China using a sample of 37,124 police service calls made from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020 to a 110 command center in a county-level city in Hubei Province. There was a significant temporal effect, and the calls for service peaked between 08:00 and 19:59 throughout the entire period. The busiest hours of the day for calls for police service were between 12:00 and 19:59, and the calls peaked between 12:00 and 15:59 during the lockdown. The distribution of calls by weekday showed no significant pattern, with the exception of traffic-related calls. The results are discussed from the perspective of routine activity theory.

COVID-19’s Impact on Crime and Delinquency

“…Data included all calls for service made from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020 (with the lockdown occurring January 24, 2020 through March 16, 2020), representing over 37,000 unique records), including violent, property, public order, traffic-related, domestic violence, dispute-related, and “other” calls. Dai et al (2022) find violent, property, and dispute case crimes declined during the lockdown, while public order, domestic violence, and “other” crimes increased, and traffic-related crimes nearly disappeared. Importantly, whether and the extent to which the rates at which crimes returned to pre-lockdown levels differed by crime type.…”

“…Importantly, whether and the extent to which the rates at which crimes returned to pre-lockdown levels differed by crime type. Temporal patterns changed as well, as Dai et al (2022) found that compared to pre- and post-lockdown, most police service calls during the lockdown began to increase in the morning and then peaked between 12:00 and 3:59 p.m. during the lockdown, meaning that the pandemic changed the timing of calls. Interestingly, no significant changes in temporal pattern were found for domestic violence calls, and only traffic-related calls evidenced changes based on the day of the week of those calls.…”

“…Dai et al (2022) compare police calls for service before, during, and after the initial COVID-19 lockdown in Hubei Province, China by focusing on temporal patterns of such calls. This study advances from incidents of calls for service to examining when calls occur, considering types of calls and both the days of the week and the times of the calls (hours of the day).…”

“…Additionally, their article continues to demand our attention to social service and social welfare agency policies related to family violence and equitable and affordable access to needed services, especially for marginalized populations. Dai et al (2022) compare police calls for service before, during, and after the initial COVID-19 lockdown in Hubei Province, China by focusing on temporal patterns of such calls. This study advances from incidents of calls for service to examining when calls occur, considering types of calls and both the days of the week and the times of the calls (hours of the day).…”

Impact of Lockdown Policy During COVID-19 Pandemic on Intimate Partner Violence in Los Angeles

“…Different regions also have their own condition and thus varied differently. By comparing over 37,000 unique records from 2019 to 2020 in China, Dai et al discovered that during the lockdown, although domestic violence significantly increased, the dispute cases decreased [6]. The previous study by Mohler et al showed that there was a significant increase in domestic violence in Los Angeles from January to April 2020 [7].…”