Resumen

SANCHEZ-CALDERON, Marcos; VALINO-CASTRO, Aurelia  y  GUTIERREZ-ROJAS, Cristián. Analysis of police productivity: a case study applied to Ecuador. URVIO [online]. 2025, n.41, pp.109-128. ISSN 1390-4299.  https://doi.org/10.17141/urvio.41.2025.6227.

Introduction/ Objective: This study aims to analyze the productivity of police actions in Ecuador using the Hicks-Moorsteen total factor productivity index. The analysis covers five periods (2018-2022), with the year 2018 as the technological reference, and takes the 221 cantons of the country as decision-making units. Methodology: The inputs considered are the number of police officers and Community Police Units, while the evaluated outputs are homicides and car thefts, treated inversely. The results show a significant decline in productivity in reducing these crimes. Additionally, notable fluctuations are observed in certain periods, possibly linked to changes in policies, strategies, or external factors that impacted crime management. Conclusions: The decomposition of the index reveals that, although technical change has improved homicide management and, to a lesser extent, car thefts, technical efficiency has been variable. The analysis is complemented with a focus on the cantons of Guayaquil and Esmeraldas, which have experienced a recent increase in criminal activity. The detailed information provided by this index is crucial for designing public security policies, as it helps identify the most vulnerable cantons and prevent future crime increases, as well as offering examples of best practices.

Palabras clave : Ecuador; efficiency; productivity; Hicks-Moorsteen index; citizen security.

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