Why are property crimes reported to the police? An empirical assessment for Peru

Abstract

Peru has not only one of the highest victimization rates in Latin America (24%), but also the lowest rate of reported crimes (15%) (Latinobarómetro, 2016) The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of the crimes and the characteristics of the individuals that predict the decision of reporting four different property crimes (burglary, auto theft, auto parts theft, and motorcycle theft). To this end, a seven-year survey of households at the national level in Peru was used (2010-2016). The estimations were made using multilevel mixed effects logistics regression, in order to control for characteristics of the environment that also influence the decision to report. Use of a weapon by the criminal is the factor that most increases the probability of reporting any of the four assessed crimes. Repeated victimization is also an important predictor, although for a lower number of crimes. Trust in the police is not associated to the decision to report. This is the first study to quantitatively analyze the factors that affect the decision to report in Peru. Its results are useful for a better understanding of the low reporting rates in the country.