On the way to and from school? Spatial and temporal patterns of violent and sexual offences against female pupils across Essex

• In Event: WG-PLACE 3: Research on crime, place and time

Abstract

Commonly held assumptions around the location and drivers of hot spots of violent and sexual offences against women and girls have focused attention on the night-time economy. With some notable exceptions, little attention within the crime and place literature has focused on the presence of schools as crime generators and attractors. Much of the existing analysis of the role of schools in creating crime opportunities has examined the impact of different types of educational establishments and neighbourhoods upon shaping patterns of crime incidences across different offence types.

This paper presents the first spatial analysis of violent and sexual victimisation experienced by female school pupils within the vicinity of schools and how this materialises within critical periods that mark the arrival and departure of pupils during the school day. The analysis utilises police-recorded offences occurring near primary and secondary schools between 2018 and 2021 across the Essex police force area. It identifies the presence of different types of violent and sexual offence incidents experienced by girls aged 5-16 occurring between pre-school hours (8 am to 9 am) and post-school hours (3 pm to 5 pm). Incidents are examined that occur immediately outside the school gates, in streets immediately surrounding schools, and within the broader catchment areas of these educational establishments. Drawing upon a range of official data sources, the paper presents a multivariate analysis of the location and drivers of female pupil patterns of violent and sexual victimisation. The research findings challenge conventional wisdom concerning the concentration and location of violence against women and girls and highlight the need for crime reduction initiatives that foster broader collective responsibilities concerning the safe arrival to and journey home from school of female pupils.

Keywords: violent offences, sexual offences, gender, schools, crime generators, crime attractors.

Author

• James Hunter, Nottingham Trent University