The pandemic as a criminological experiment: Crime in the Netherlands during 12 months of COVID-19 measures

COVID-19 caused serious personal and societal damage. It also created, however, a unique natural experiment. How did the pandemic affect crime levels? In this article, we analyse unique empirical data for the Netherlands, covering January 2016–March 2021, to assess if and how crime patterns changed during the first 12 months of COVID-19-related measures. Domestic violence, which was expected to rise, did not increase, nor did distraction burglary. Residential burglary, bicycle theft and pickpocketing, however, decreased considerably, especially during (some of the) weeks when lockdown measures were into force. Online crime rates on the other hand increased. An opportunity theoretical approach regarding crime offers a good explanation for these changes.