Auto theft and robberies in São Paulo were down significantly in 2020 versus 2019

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The state of São Paulo recorded a 39.4% drop in auto theft occurrences in the comparison between 2020 and 2019, according to data released by the
Tracker-FECAP Economic Bulletin on Friday, May 28.

In absolute numbers, 33,000 theft occurrences were recorded in 2019 and 20,000 last year. As for robberies, there was a 29.8% drop, with 67,800 thousand in 2019 and 47,600 in 2020.

According to Erivaldo Costa, professor of the Department of Research in Crime Economics at the Álvares Penteado School of Commerce Foundation (FECAP), several factors contributed to this drop, but three had the greatest impact.

“Less traffic also reduced the number of accidents, causing the demand for parts and accessories to drop, the main economic driver for auto theft in the state and which supplies the chop shops,” said Costa.

Finally, the specialist states that the decrease in income also leads to less new vehicles on the streets, which is unfavorable for thieves.

“Thefts registered a rate around 2.2 times higher than robberies. Crime increased when people began to expose themselves more. The increase in commuting to and from work, shopping, and leisure is followed by an increase in auto theft,” said Erivaldo Costa.

The research was conducted based on data from the occurrence reports issued by the São Paulo State Public Safety Department.

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