Note
Author(s) affiliated with: School of Criminology, Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada; Department of Criminology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, Canada; School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Issued in Journal of Quantitative Criminology. Volume 33, Issue 2, pages 427-449. ISSN 0748-4518.
Summary
Objectives: investigate the spatial concentrations and the stability of trajectories for disaggregated crime types on street segments and intersections in Vancouver, Canada. Methods: a longitudinal analysis of 16 years of crime data using street segments and intersections as the units of analysis. We use the k-means non-parametric cluster analysis technique considering eight crime types: assault, burglary, robbery, theft, theft of vehicle, theft from vehicle, other, and total crime. Results: the overall results for the individual crime types versus overall crime are similar: crime is highly concentrated regardless of crime type, most street segment and intersection trajectories are stable over time with the others decreasing, and most decreasing trajectories are in the same general areas. However, there are notable differences across crime types that need to be considered when attempting to understand spatial pattern changes and implement crime prevention initiatives. Conclusions: the law of crime concentration at places holds in Vancouver, Canada for disaggregated crime types in the context of spatial concentrations and their stability overtime. However, notable differences exist across crime types that should be accounted for when developing theory or policy.