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Utilizing newly compiled granular data on 7 million criminal incidents within a large police force, I examine the impact of police deployment on crime occurrence, reporting, police investigations, and overall citizens’ welfare. Focusing on a wave of austerity cuts which resulted in the closure of 70% of the police stations (while preserving total police strength), I show that the closures persistently increased violent crimes in census blocks near the defunct stations. Consistent with lower deterrence and police effectiveness, I document reduced clearance rates, reduced reporting of non-violent offences, and lower local house prices in the most deprived areas. The policy appears not to be cost-effective.
Authors
Research Associate University of Rome Tor Vergata
Elisa is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics & Finance of University of Rome Tor Vergata and a Research Associate at IFS.
Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.1920/wp.ifs.2024.1624
- Publisher
- Institute for Fiscal Studies
Suggested citation
Facchetti, E. (2024). Police infrastructure, police performance, and crime: Evidence from austerity cuts. 24/16. London: Institute for Fiscal Studies. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/police-infrastructure-police-performance-and-crime-evidence-austerity-cuts (accessed: 4 May 2024).
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