Cross National Comparison of Burglar Spatial Preferences

• In Event: Crime and Place: Offender Target Selection and Location Choice

Abstract

A range of constraints dictate that most empirically based studies of crime and place are undertaken within a single study region. These constraints limit external validity and the ability to make generalizations concerning the role of the environmental backcloth in crime placement. Identifying and quantifying generalizable principles of crime placement offers considerable utility to both theorists (for whom it permits the empirical test of theoretical constructs); and policy makers (for whom it helps prioritise areas in terms of risk). This study explores the veracity and ubiquity of a theoretically derived offender target selection strategy in three distinct cross-national study regions. Using a discrete spatial choice approach, we estimate the impact of both environment- and offender-level factors on residential burglary placement in the Netherlands, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Authors

• Michael Townsley, Griffith University

• Daniel Birks, Griffith University