Bogota experienced a reduction in violence during this year’s Corpus Christi festival compared to last year, said the mayor of Bogota.
Mayor Clara Lopez said that there was a significant decrease in violent crime at this year’s festival. The mayor reported that there were 15 homicides this year, as opposed to 29 last year. There was a decrease in street brawling as well.
“On the issue of fights we have 400 fewer cases, 2,900 last year versus 2,500 this year,” said the mayor. “The same happened with basic injuries, which went from 145 cases to 58.”
It has been a week since the mayor announced a ban on liquor sales in Bogota after 11PM which affected restaurants, grocery stores and a number of other establishments. The mayor said that the reduction in violence was not the final measure of the success of the alcohol ban, but did claim that the ban was a contributing factor to the decline in violence.
Despite the ban, however, the mayor reported that many establishments in Bogota continue to sell alcohol after the curfew. Since the ban went into effect, at least 3,300 prohibited establishments have been caught selling liquor after 11PM. The ban has been criticized by shop owners and Fenalco, the National Merchants’ Federation, as an unnecessary burden on the Bogota economy.