3: Crime Analysis and GIS

Visualising Property Crime in Gauteng: Applying GIS to Crime Pattern Theory

by: Alexandra Hiropoulos and Jeremy Porter

Argument

  • GIS can be a principal tool in the presentation of crime data when used in combination with pertinent social theory that is targeted at the exploration of what determines criminality and crime

Methodology

  • Visual analysis using a created map depicting theft out of motor vehicles
  • Spatial Autocorrelation (Moran’s I)
  • Hotspot analysis to find crime “generators” and crime “attractors”

Results

  • Significant clusters of these crimes were located near Central Business Districts and concentrated only within a few precincts
  • Places in space do not matter, only crime “generators” and crime “attractors” do when looking for clusters of significance

Rating: 6/10

Reference:

Hiropoulos, A., & Porter, J. (2016). Visualising property crime in Gauteng: Applying GIS to crime pattern theory. South African Crime Quarterly, (47) doi:10.17159/2413-3108/2014/v0i47a802