The Deterrence Effect of Police Stations on Crime in Buenos Aires and Mexico City

Abstract

Police stations are not only necessary but constitute a physical representation of police force presence in neighborhoods. The deterrence effect that their location has on crime is supported by structural deterrence theory. However, few studies have empirically examined this deterrence effect, much less from a comparative perspective. Based on the cases of Buenos Aires and Mexico City, this study finds descriptive evidence of a deterrence effect of police stations and micro stations on crimes of homicide, carjacking, and vehicle theft. These findings are further supported by the examination of significantly different crime distributions around parking lots and bank locations as counterexamples to police locations.

Keywords:

• Deterrence
• police stations
• crime
• Buenos Aires
• Mexico City
• Latin America

Notes

1 https://www.milenio.com/policia/instalan-5-modulos-garantizar-seguridad-estudiantes-cdmx

2 Due to space limitations, we have included the table of distances in the online appendix (supplementary materials). See Table A1.

3 Three city blocks can be considered a “near walking distance” in any city of any size. On the typical length of a city block in Buenos Aires see: https://infocronos.com.ar/nota/14816/cuanto-mide-una-cuadra/#:∼:text=As%C3%AD%20en%20Capital%20Federal%2C%20Territorios,varas)%20en%20129%2C90m.