The great opportunity: how Covid transformed global crime

2020 led to surges in everything from domestic abuse to black markets in fake vaccines

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By the end of March, one week into the UK's first lockdown, recorded crime in Lancashire had dropped by a startling 40% compared with the four-year average.

At first there was some mild panic," says DCI Eric Halford, of Lancashire Constabulary. Most senior officers expected a surge in demand."