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Article
Publication date: 25 October 2023

Yiu Ming Ng, Barak Ariel and Vincent Harinam

A growing body of literature focuses on crime hotspots; however, less is known about the spatial distribution of crime at mass transit systems, and even less is known about…

118

Abstract

Purpose

A growing body of literature focuses on crime hotspots; however, less is known about the spatial distribution of crime at mass transit systems, and even less is known about trajectory patterns of hotspots in non-English-speaking countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The spatiotemporal behaviour of 1,494 crimes reported to the Hong Kong’s Railway Police District across a two-year period was examined in this study. Crime harm weights were then applied to offences to estimate the distribution of crime severity across the transit system. Descriptive statistics are used to understand the temporal and spatial trends, and k-means longitudinal clustering are used to examine the developmental trajectories of crime in train stations over time.

Findings

Analyses suggest that 15.2% and 8.8% of stations accounted for 50% of all counted crime and crime harm scores, respectively, indicating the predictability of crime and harm to occur at certain stations but not others. Offending persists consistently, with low, moderate and high counts and harm stations remaining the same over time.

Research limitations/implications

These findings suggest that more localised crime control initiatives are required to target crime effectively.

Originality/value

This is one of the only studies focusing on hotspots and harmspots in the mass transit system.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 46 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 1 August 2024

Paul Ottaro, Barak Ariel and Vincent Harinam

The objectives of this study are to (a) identify spatial and temporal crime concentrations, (b) supplement the traditional place-based analysis that defines hot spots based on…

66

Abstract

Purpose

The objectives of this study are to (a) identify spatial and temporal crime concentrations, (b) supplement the traditional place-based analysis that defines hot spots based on counted incidents with an analysis of crime severity and (c) add to the research of hot spots with an analysis of offender data.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explores crime concentration in mass transit settings, focusing on Edmonton’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations in 2017–2022. Pareto curves are used to observe the degree of concentration of crime in certain locations using multiple estimates; trajectory analysis is then used to observe crime patterns in the data on both places and offenders.

Findings

A total of 16.3% of stations accounted for 50% of recorded incidents. Train stations with high or low crime counts and severity remained as such consistently over time. Additionally, 3.6% of offenders accounted for 50% of incident count, while 5% accounted for 50% of harm. We did not observe differences in the patterns and distributions of crime concentrations when comparing crime counts and harm.

Research limitations/implications

Hot spots and harm spots are synonymous in low-crime-harm environments: high-harm incidents are outliers, and their weight in the average crime severity score is limited. More sensitive severity measures are needed for high-frequenty, low-harm enviornments.

Practical implications

The findings underscore the benefits of integrating offender data in place-based applied research.

Originality/value

The findings provide additional evidence on the utility of place-based criminology and potentially cost-effective interventions.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 47 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 12 January 2023

Kristian Moesgaard Loewenstein, Barak Ariel, Vincent Harinam and Matthew Bland

A recent body of evidence investigated repeated intimate partner violence (IPV) using crime harm indices (the severity of victimisation), instead of crime counts (the number of…

219

Abstract

Purpose

A recent body of evidence investigated repeated intimate partner violence (IPV) using crime harm indices (the severity of victimisation), instead of crime counts (the number of additional victimisation incidents). Yet, the predictive utility of harm scores in IPV remains unclear – except that high-harm IPV is not usually followed by any additional IPV incidents. The authors take cases of repeat IPV from North Zealand Police, Denmark, to predict subsequent IPV harm and counts based on the level of harm of the first reported IPV offence.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the Danish crime harm index (CHI) to estimate harm levels, non-linear regression models are applied (due to the non-linear nature of the data) to show that the CHI level of the index offence validly predicts gains in future CHI but does not predict IPV counts.

Findings

The findings suggest that whilst high-harm IPV is a rare event and repeat high-harm IPV even rarer, when they do occur, escalation in harm is likely to occur.

Practical implications

A simple metric of harm of the first reported IPV offence can validly predict future harm – however, scholars should apply more fitting analytical techniques than crude descriptive statistics, which fail to take into account the non-linear distribution of police records.

Originality/value

This is the first study to show the value of predicting future harm based on prior harm in IPV.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 46 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 20 September 2023

Stewart Selase Hevi, Clemence Dupey Agbenorxevi, Ebenezer Malcalm, Nicholas Mawunyah Mawunyah Gborse, Jeffrey Mawutor Hevi and Vincent Yaw Preko

This paper aims to investigate the moderated-mediation roles of perception of police response to crime and digital interclass coalition against crime between fear of terrorist…

56

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the moderated-mediation roles of perception of police response to crime and digital interclass coalition against crime between fear of terrorist attacks and psychological distress among residents of Tema Metropolis in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

A cluster sampling technique was used in the selection of 577 residents who answered questions on fear of terrorism, perception of police response to crime, digital interclass coalition against crime and psychological distress. The study used regression analysis to assess the hypothesized paths.

Findings

The findings show that digital interclass coalition against crime moderates the partially mediated relationship between perception of police response to crime and residents’ psychological distress.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited in scope by the generalization of its findings, as it was restricted to only residents of Tema Metropolis in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first in criminal psychology to explore the relevance of police-public engagement in averting large-scale crime in an emerging economy.

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