Crime along the way: The influence of paths on crime location choice

• In Event: Crime and Place: Understanding Crime Patterns

Abstract

Crime pattern theory predicts that offenders target areas within their awareness spaces. Previous research confirmed the importance of offenders' activity nodes. They often commit crimes in their own current and past residential areas, in areas they previously targeted, and in the current and past residential areas of their close family members. So far, no crime location choice study has tested whether offenders also target areas along the paths in their activity space. This study builds upon previous crime location choice studies in the Greater The Hague area, but adds information on shortest paths between activity nodes to test whether offenders indeed commit crime along the way.

Authors

• Stijn Ruiter, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement

• Wim Bernasco, NSCR

• Marre Lammers, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement

• Barbara Menting, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement