A quarter of Bogota residents have been victims of crime this year according to the Chamber of Commerce’s 2011 Survey of Security Perception and Victimization released on Thursday, 11% less than in 2010.
The survey, which was administered to 8,960 city residents during the first half of 2011, showed robbery was the most common crime commited against Bogota residents, accounting for 73% of the total. Nearly half (46%) of those who had been robbed reported that their attackers had used violence to achieve their means, and of those cases nearly a quarter (23%) reportedly used a firearm. In those robberies, cellphones were the most popularly stolen item (36%), followed by money (16%), and personal objects (10%).
Only one-quarter (27%) of the victims reported the crime to the police and their reason for doing so was either because of a sense of citizen’s duty (38%), to avoid a repeat offense (25%), or to possibly recover their goods (22%). Of those who did not report the crime, one quarter said they didn’t do so because they lacked confidence in the authorities.
The highest levels of crime were reported by residents in Fontibon, Antonio Nariño, Puente Aranda, Los Martires and La Candelaria.
Over half (57%) of survey respondents reported that they had percieved a rise in insecurity in Bogota during the first half of the year, although this also represented a small (6%) decrease from last year’s survey results.
Over one-third (39%) responded that they considered their neighborhood to be safe. Despite this, a reported 6 out of 10 had taken protective security measures such as installing in-home security cameras.