Social Capital, The Lesser-Known Victim of Crime in Bogota – Colombia

This article explores trends in violent and minor crime behavior at the borough and neighborhood levels in Bogota as undermining factors of social capital. Homicide rates were examined as potential influencers on dependent variables such as the levels of mistrust at the city and neighborhood levels. The data used in this article was obtained from the 2015-16 crime data released by the Bogota Crime Observatory and the Crime Investigation Unit. Spatial data (e.g. neighborhoods across Bogota) and time data (e.g. month-to-month) were examined using heat maps and econometrics to identify patterns and pinpoint specific areas in Bogota where crime occurs. Results identify three areas where homicide mostly occurs and a fourth one where minor crime mostly occurs. Findings demonstrate trust at the neighborhood and city levels is mostly affected by random homicide events rather than by more recurrent minor crime events. This study concludes that even though homicides are not likely to occur where minor crime occurs and vice-versa, all crime types undermine trust, an essential component of social capital.