Crime and Fire Flashcards
Why are deprived areas most at risk to fires?
High number of derelict buildings
Abandoned cars
Large amounts of rubbish
Where are fires most concentrated?
Hotpots in city centres/inner city areas
What is the Townsend index score?
Suggests a correlation between rate of deprivation and number of fires
What was the Channel 4 Project?
Based on geodemographics, they estimated ‘expected’ levels of crime.
They then compared ‘expected’ levels with actual levels and ranked cities outcomes accordingly
What was the Home Office Project?
Created 'families' of police areas which are similar in geodemographics e.g. Manchester and Leeds Police performance (crime) then ranked in these families
What was ‘Operation Hart’?
Largest police investigation since the Yorkshire ripper
The Railway Killer - 1980s
Prof. David Canter created a psychological profile including location of killer (through geoprofiling), marital status, children etc. to find a profile on John Duffy - he was the murderer
What is geographic profiling?
Analysing spatial patterns (crime) to estimate offender residence
What were the successes of The Trafford Experiment?
Crime rates decreased 26% in 6 months
Reduction rates lead to roughly £1mil in savings to households that would have otherwise been robbed
What was The Trafford Model/Experiment?
Computer modelling predicting where crime will take place
Police then deployed to areas that are predicted to have high crime rates
What was ‘Operation Banrock’?
Geographical Initiative to reduce crime
Joint operation with W.Yorkshire Police
Off-licenses in E.Leeds targeted over 3 days
7 illegal sales from 20 test purchases
One trader made a sale on 2 different occasions to a 13 year old volunteer
What are the 6 different types of Crime Reduction Initiatives?
Geographical initiatives Target hardening Increased police patrols Targeting offenders and their families CCTV Targeting the stolen goods market
Why are temporal patterns vital in understanding crime?
Day: relatively little crime
Night: many more crime hotspots
What is the Geometric Theory of Crime?
Everyone has a cognitive map (awareness of space) of their environment
This is developed from travel around ‘anchor points’ e.g. school, work, home etc.
Awareness spaces vary depending on age and sociodemographic background - the poor and the young have less developed spaces
What is the environmental criminology theory?
3 ‘ingredients’ need to converge in the same space/time for a crime to occur:
A motivated offender
A victim
An absent guardian
What factors determine crime?
Unemployment/fault of capitalism (marxist views)
Upbringing
Liberal world
Nightspots/student centres/shopping centres
Being a recent victim
Opportunity
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Police Recorded Crime?
Advantages:
Accurate geography
Highly detailed individual information
Disadvantages:
Varies depending on police practices
Substantial under-reporting: only 30% of assaults get reported
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Crime Survey for England and Wales?
Advantages:
Consistent methodology
Captures un-reported crime
Disadvantages:
Only includes ages 16+
Misrepresents repeat victimisation
Regional geography (sparse)
What are the 2 main data sources for crime?
- The Crime Survey for England and Wales
2. Police Recorded Crime
How much funding does the Police service get?
£11 billion
What happens to risk of burglary on a road after one house is burgled?
Risk of burglary doubles
Risk rapidly decreases with time
Neighbours share increased risk
What are the two mapping methods used in crime?
Point mapping and thematic mapping
What are the advantages of point mapping crime?
Useful for a few points e.g. serial killer
Gives exact numbers and clusters
What are the disadvantages of point mapping crime?
Lots of points obscure other points
Human objectivity - opinions on where high crime rates are might differ
What are the advantages of thematic mapping crime?
Doesn’t rely on human perception
Aggregates points by area
Clearly identifies regional disparities
