Area-based policies for crime prevention

The new emphasis upon crime prevention which has appeared in recent years has led to realignments in policing policy in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Although by no means leading to the abandonment of the more traditional forms of policing, schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch and the wider concept of community policing involve far greater levels of interaction between the police and the public. Area-based policies have appeared in numerous forms and have proved convenient ways for crime control resources to be organized. Early experiments in policing practice have not produced clear answers on the effectiveness of various strategies and there are wider issues of crime identification and control to be considered. A number of schemes of different kinds, ranging from target-hardening projects which increase physical security in particular areas, to attempts to involve communities in more effective social control are reviewed, and it is argued that the established methodologies of urban geography have much to offer in the monitoring and evaluation of crime prevention schemes of this kind.     

The positive effects of increased foot patrols on the incidence of liquor infractions and assaults in the Granville Street Entertainment Area of Vancouver British Columbia Canada

Entertainment districts have high crime rates. Offences peak on the weekend during the operating hours of on-premises drinking establishments. To determine if proactive policing from May 1st to August 31st reduced the spatial density (kernel) or annual frequency of liquor infractions and assaults in Vancouver British Columbia Granville St. Entertainment Area (GEA) we analyzed the spatial and temporal pattern of crime pre (2006) and post (2010, 2013) the policing intervention. Crime occurred most frequently between 1:00am and 3:00am. The frequency of weekend liquor infractions significantly (α < 0.05) decreased during the proactive policing period. The magnitude of the reduction was greater for liquor infractions than assaults. Liquor infractions decreased from 121 events in 2006, to 53 events in 2010, to 91 events in 2013. Assaults decreased from 36 events in 2006, to 34 events in 2010, to 28 events in 2013. Future patrolling should focus on north-east end of Granville St. during early morning hours (1:00am-3:00am), and consider additional patrols, to increase crime reductions. In light of the recent trend to liberalize alcohol access across British Columbia we demonstrated that targeted policing strategies can reduce alcohol-attributable crime. We also provide fine temporal and spatial scale information on the patterns of crime creating evidence-based information to support policing strategies.     

Examining the neighbourhood‐level predictors of fear of crime in Christchurch,New Zealand

The fear of crime can significantly reduce the quality of life of individuals, yet little is known about what neighbourhood‐level factors drive feelings of vulnerability in New Zealand. Even less is known about the impact that recorded crime has on individuals' fear in the country. In this study, we examined the neighbourhood‐level factors related to fear of crime in Christchurch, focusing specifically on whether recorded crime in neighbourhoods influences fear. The fear of crime in Christchurch was found to be the greatest in more affluent, ethnically homogenous and residentially stable neighbourhoods, while recorded crime levels were found to be relatively lower in these neighbourhoods.     

PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME AND SAFETY IN THREE MIDWESTERN PARKS*

While recent research provides a general model of the causes and consequences of fear of crime, little is known about how the relationships among these model components may vary from one setting to another. Garofalo's fear of crime model is used to explore the extent and impact of fear of crime in recreational settings. Two hundred sixty-eight visitors to three Midwestern district level parks were interviewed on-site using a structured questionnaire. Results generally support the model and demonstrate a link between perception and behavior related to fear of crime. Respondents who felt unsafe in the park alone also tended to report avoidance behavior. Females were more likely than males to report both fear and avoidance. Direct experience with park crime and incivility, perceptions of other park visitors, and familiarity with the park were not strongly associated with either feelings of safety or reported avoidance.     

Fear,crime, and space: The case of Viçosa,Brazil

Crime is both a factual and perceptual component of the urban landscape, seemingly both a societal pathology and the consequence of economic disparity between social groups. Crime has a spatial structure that can be revealed by mapping. Urban crime has a spatial multiplier effect that changes the values and perceptions of how people see urban space, and which jeopardizes the quality of life of a city's inhabitants. In this research we examine the question of whether the geography of actual criminal acts is echoed by peoples' perceptions of crime, what might be termed their “spaces of fear”. We ask how the fear of crime is associated with reported urban crime. Urban crime incidents have been increasing in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We assembled crime information about Viçosa from two sources: first, crime as reported to the police and second, crime as perceived by city residents and measured by surveys and interviews. Reported criminal acts reveal a clustered geography, focusing particularly on the Downtown area, where there is a concentration of urban wealth and potential victims are more numerous. Offenses against property were focused on Downtown, while offenses against the person were located mostly in peripheral areas. The widespread feeling of insecurity in the city's neighborhoods, reflecting the fear of becoming a victim of violence and crime, was common throughout the city. Results confirmed the conclusion of past studies showing that the fear of violence and crime are not directly related to increasing numbers of criminal reports. Sites with higher incidence of crimes are not places with higher levels of fear. Rather than being geographically explainable “spaces of fear”, the spatial distribution of the fear of violence and crime appears to be unrelated in Viçosa, and neither is clustered or dispersed in any measurable way.     

Zero Tolerance in Latin America: Punitive Paradox in Urban Policy Mobilities

In Latin America, high levels of crime have prompted many politicians to embrace zero tolerance policing in order to quell public fears. While the overall impacts on urban crime are debatable, zero tolerance in the region has morphed into a powerful policy narrative that symbolizes strong leaders who crack down crime and disorder. Its impacts have been far-reaching; to date, it has been implemented in various guises in Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Yet, the policy transfer of zero tolerance to Latin America has mutated into a much more punitive approach. In this paper, I develop a critical analysis of the punitive inequalities of zero tolerance policing in Latin American cities, and the consequences for marginalized and racialized youth. I also explore the emergence of a new, unexpected consequence of zero tolerance: the South-North migration of undocumented people.     

Fear of crime: testing alternative hypotheses

This paper examines the spatial and social distribution of the fear of crime and the relationships of such fear with aspects of the environment. Through an analysis of a questionnaire survey conducted in a variety of areas in Stoke-on-Trent in the English Midlands, it considers both the causes of the fear of crime and the associations that have been identified with other dimensions shaping vulnerability. It concludes by offering some guidance on how to address the differences between those populations who fear crime most and those who are most vulnerable.     

Investigating the Spatiotemporal Links Between Disorder,Crime, and the Fear of Crime

While links between social and physical disorder, crime, and the fear of crime have long been areas of research interest, few studies have looked at these links from a spatiotemporal viewpoint. This is somewhat surprising, as many of the factors associated with disorder, crime, and fear are known to vary over time and space. This paper uses GISystems to investigate potential spatiotemporal links between these areas in Wollongong, New South Wales, with specific focus on links between graffiti and the fear of crime. The results reveal that the distribution of fear of crime varies considerably over time and is often spatially coincident with concentrations of disorder. Graffiti was found to be one of the most prevalent types of physical disorder. The results are discussed in the context of the “broken windows” thesis and strategic intervention at the community level.     

犯罪恐惧感与犯罪活动空间分布的匹配关系及其影响因素

利用北京社会调查、法律文书、兴趣点、路网、定位数据,发现盗窃及暴力犯罪密度对犯罪恐惧感并无显著关联或影响偏弱,犯罪活动与犯罪恐惧感存在“匹配且具高安全性”“匹配且具高危险性”“不匹配且比主观感知更危险”“不匹配且比主观感知更安全”等类型。脆弱人群更易高估安全风险;防卫空间及街道眼理论分别适用于解释客观犯罪和主观感知,高密度、混合型、密路网的可渗透环境容易产生比主观感知更危险的情形;物理与社会失序、居住不稳定性会产生比主观感知更安全的情形;高人员流动性及高地位社区的居民则易低估安全风险;出入管控和环境维护能起到减犯罪、降恐惧的双重作用。     

基于风险地形建模的毒品犯罪风险评估和警务预测

犯罪具有明显的时空特征,研究犯罪问题离不开时间和空间维度分析,以及产生犯罪的社会、地理、生态、环境等因素。风险地形建模是美国学者研发的空间风险评估和警务预测技术,已在全球六大洲45个国家和美国35个州得到了独立测试和验证,被广泛应用于警务预测、国土安全、交通事故、公共医疗、儿童虐待、环境污染、城市发展等多个领域。在毒品、纵火、爆炸、强奸、抢劫、盗窃等犯罪研究领域更是取得了显著成果。本文运用犯罪热点分析和风险地形建模,以长三角地区N市毒品犯罪为研究对象,对该市2015年毒品犯罪的危险因子、空间盲区、风险地形进行分析,探索毒品犯罪的生成机理和演化规律,并对2016年毒品犯罪进行预测。研究结果表明,N市毒品犯罪呈现明显的犯罪热点和冷点;出租屋、酒店、车站、ATM机、停车场、娱乐场所、城市快速路、网吧是N市毒品犯罪的风险性因素。风险地形建模能较好地预测毒品犯罪。公安机关禁毒部门应据此进行严密管控,逐步限制、消除犯罪产生地、犯罪吸引地、犯罪促进地的生存土壤和条件。     

The geography of crime fear: A pilot study exploring event-based perceptions of risk using mobile technology

The current pilot study explores whether mobile technology can be leveraged in survey research to gather meaningful context-dependent data on fear of crime and risk perception formation. A series of Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs) were administered to students enrolled at an Australian University (N = 20), using a smartphone application. Analysis of data collected from participants in their everyday activity spaces a) show strong internal consistency among multiple measures of crime fear; b) indicate that perceptual measures of social cohesion are significant predictors of victimisation worry; and c) support most hypothesised associations between concepts contained in contemporary models of crime fear. Unfortunately, some aspects of the pilot study design could not be implemented as planned, which have implications for future research. Specifically, we found that triggering participant's surveys based on their location (rather than time), produced data that was not conducive to robust place-based analysis. In spite of this limitation, we offer alternative means of measuring the effects of place on fear of crime using mobile devices.     

Fortress Australia? (In)security and private governance in a gated residential estate

Part of a broader trend towards all-inclusive master planned developments, gated residential estates are an intensely private form of residential development with a degree of securitisation. Gated residential estates have been the topic of intense debate in urban planning and policy circles and the target of fierce criticism for potential exclusionary outcomes as fearful residents lock themselves away from the ills of wider urban society. Crime, a fear of crime and the need for security dominate discussions and understandings of gated residential developments in Australia without much empirical validation. This paper poses two key research questions: does fear of crime and need for increased security drive residents towards gated estates; and what are the lived experiences of security, gates and crime once residing within a gated estate? Based on in-depth research in Macquarie Links (one of Sydney's largest gated estates) this paper offers insights into the lived dimensions of gated estates. The paper explores the attractions and realities of security services and infrastructure, private control over the residential environment and the importance placed by the residents on the ability to protect the nature of their neighbourhood and to protect themselves from any ‘unwanted’ activities or groups. The discussion in this paper demonstrates that for the residents in the study, residing in a secure residential neighbourhood is less about the role and place of physical security and security services, and more to do with protection afforded by the private governance structure of the neighbourhood.     

四川省拐卖儿童犯罪的时空演变过程及影响因素分析

拐卖儿童犯罪给受害者带来身心创伤、给家庭带来巨大悲痛和长期困扰,已成为社会和学界关注的焦点问题。该领域犯罪地理学视角的研究兴起较晚,且主要侧重宏观整体分析,当前亟需聚焦高发源地和重点人群作精细解析。为此,论文针对中国拐卖犯罪重灾源区四川省,综合运用数理统计、空间分析、文本分析、案例分析等方法探究四川省拐卖儿童犯罪的时空演变过程与影响因素。研究发现：① 数量上,被拐男童明显多于女童,被拐儿童主要来自乡村,虽呈现1~6岁和14~17岁的“双峰”型特征,但整体趋向低龄化。② 时间上,犯罪年际分布大致呈倒“V”型波动态势,高发期为1981—2000年;犯罪年内分布集中于夏半年,周内分布周末高发,日期分布每月1日的被拐儿童数量最多。③ 空间上,存在一个被拐高发区和多个被拐次高发区;县域尺度上的犯罪格局呈现“高—高”和“低—低”聚集;随着时间的变化,拐出热点区不断向南部和东部蔓延;宏观贩运路径上,向中东部地区分散拐入,华北和华南是重点拐入的“南北两汇”。④ 对1981—2000年犯罪高发期的原因解析发现,受教育水平与城乡收入差距是影响拐卖儿童犯罪的主导因素。     

DP半岛街头抢劫犯罪案件热点时空模式

选取H市中心城区DP半岛作为研究区域,以岛上2006-2011 年发生的街头抢劫案件（共373 起） 作为研究对象,将DP半岛内街头抢劫案件的时空分布特征分别从宏观和局部微观两个尺度层面进行系统的分析。首先,对岛上的街头抢劫案件按年、月和小时进行统计分析,总结其在不同时间尺度上的变化规律：2007 年开始的严打使案件数量逐年减少,直到2010 年才略有回升;春节期间（二月前后） 的案件数量明显高于其他月份;晚上22:00-23:00 期间是案件高发时段。其次,利用Kernel 密度方法对研究区街头抢劫犯罪的宏观空间分布进行整体的辨别,剥离出犯罪热点空间分布,分析热点与道路网和土地利用的关联性,结果表明热点多分布于主干道、通达性高的节点或土地利用混合度高的地方。最后,选出4 个最主要的热点从微观尺度进行分析,PAI 指数表明这4 个热点在时间上是稳定的,从2006 年到2011 年一直存在。依据“热点时空类型矩阵”的时间分布和空间分布模式,将这4 个稳定热点归类到不同微观时空模式,并对每类模式下的街头抢劫犯罪提出有针对性的防控对策,以便优化警力资源的配置、最大限度抑制和减少犯罪的发生。     

Drink driving offender rates in Tasmania

Age‐specific drink driving offender rates for local government areas in Tasmania show marked variation. Generally high rates typify larger urban centres, some more densely settled rural areas and the west coast mining municipalities. However, a clearcut rural/urban dichotomy in offender rates is not apparent and explanations are sought in the combination of people, place and policing characteristics of different areas.     

中国犯罪地理研究述评

当前社会犯罪问题严峻,以空间为视角的犯罪地理研究因其独特的综合性在犯罪防控中的作用日益凸显。以中国知网、维普和万方三大数据库中获得的期刊文献为基础,对中国犯罪地理的研究状况进行综合评述。在对国内五大研究主题进行回顾的基础上,围绕“研究主题”和“研究领域”两方面,分析了中国犯罪地理学的发展动态。总体来看,在过去的25 年中,中国犯罪地理研究逐渐起步,发展趋势良好,已经吸引了来自地理学、法学与警务管理、城市规划、应用数学等诸多领域的学者关注。尽管研究焦点各有侧重,但始终注重对国外研究和实践经验的引入,并提出了基于综合分析、情境预防、CPTED、PGIS的诸多防控对策。在犯罪时空分布特征、犯罪发生诱因等方面,研究范围宽广,但研究深度有待加强。未来中国犯罪地理学发展任重而道远。学界应充分重视城市犯罪与农村犯罪、犯罪与微观环境的互动关系、犯罪主体的行为空间等研究,并积极探索虚拟犯罪模拟新技术的应用。     

不同主体特征的犯罪人空间出行行为分析

犯罪人的空间出行行为对描述和理解犯罪人的犯罪过程具有重要作用。目前已有的研究大多集中于犯罪人空间出行距离的一般性统计分析,缺少从犯罪人不同主体特征下的空间出行行为的精细化与个性化研究。论文以北京市盗窃电动自行车案件为例,对不同主体特征要素下的犯罪人空间出行距离分布差异性进行了实证研究,结果表明：具有不同性别、年龄、籍贯和犯罪经验属性的犯罪人空间出行距离分布存在明显差异,其中男性犯罪人的犯罪出行距离略高于女性犯罪人,但其空间缓冲距离却较女性犯罪人略小;中年犯罪人较青少年和老年犯罪人具有更大的犯罪出行距离和空间缓冲半径;外来犯罪人群体较本地犯罪人群体的犯罪出行距离和空间缓冲区更远;多次作案的犯罪人在出行距离和空间缓冲距离上要高于作案次数较少的犯罪人。随后,基于最小努力原则和理性抉择理论,从犯罪人主体的出行成本、邻里监护风险感知、犯罪收益等角度构建了犯罪人空间出行的决策模型,并对不同主体特征要素作用下的犯罪人空间出行行为的差异性进行了解释。研究结论可为犯罪预测及警务实践提供有效支撑。     

Beyond anecdotal evidence: Do subsidized housing developments increase neighborhood crime?

While planners and policymakers have advocated the need for project-based subsidized housing, they often face the challenge of strong community opposition due to the negative perceptions of subsidized housing and subsidized households, and the fear that these developments and residents would bring increased crime. This paper aims to extend beyond anecdotal evidence by examining the impact of a popular U.S. affordable housing program, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, on neighborhood crime rates. We estimate the levels and trends in neighborhood crime before and after LIHTC developments, based on crime incidents data from 2000 to 2009 in Austin, Texas, using the Adjusted Interrupted Time Series–Difference in Differences (AITS–DID) approach to clarify the causal direction of impacts of LIHTC developments. Results show that LIHTC subsidized housing tended to be developed in neighborhoods where crime was already prevalent, and contrary to popular perception, LIHTC developments have a mitigating impact on neighborhood crime. These results suggest that LIHTC developments may be an effective tool for revitalizing distressed neighborhoods by ameliorating the “broken windows” problem and reducing neighborhood crime.     

基于时空临近重复效应的犯罪热点特征及成因分析——以北京市抢劫案件为例

时空临近重复效应是犯罪活动的一种重要时空特征。为深入研究犯罪热点的特征及其形成原因,论文以北京市内城六区2012—2014年抢劫案件为例,通过核密度估计、时空临近重复计算及定义时空临近重复案件链等方法分析了犯罪热点的案件构成,并从犯罪人因素和环境因素等方面对犯罪热点内的案件特征结构进行了分析。结果表明：北京市内城六区的抢劫案件存在有“a”“b”“c”三个主要的空间热点,并且热点内的大部分案件均具有显著的时空临近重复效应;其中热点“a”位于双井、劲松一带,热点“c”位于南四环大红门桥一带,且2个热点内案件的犯罪人特征在一致性程度上高于环境类特征,表明热点的形成源于犯罪人在热点区域内重复作案的可能性较大;而热点“b”位于东南三环的分钟寺地区,热点内案件的环境类特征在一致性程度上高于犯罪人特征,表明该热点的形成为不同犯罪人在热点区域内集中作案的可能性较高。研究对警务部门开展针对性的犯罪打击和防控有一定的支撑作用。     

RURAL POPULATION LOSS AND CROPLAND CHANGE IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS: IMPLICATIONS FOR CROPLAND RETIREMENT POLICY∗

Given steadily increasing federal expenditures to manage surplus crop production, it would seem to make economic and environmental sense to concentrate production on the best acreage and to retire marginal crop acreage to alternate uses. A major obstacle constraining adoption and implementation of cropland retirement programs in the past has been the fear that cropland retirement threatens the viability of rural communities. Regression of change in population and retail establishments on changes in farm structure, nonfarm employment, and agricultural land-use in the rural Southern Plains between 1930 and 1970 provides only weak evidence to support this fear. In fact, short-term cropland idling under post-1960 price-support programs appears to pose more of a threat to rural communities than does cropland retirement.