BB60

Author Melissa Burgess
Published April 2011
Report Type Bureau Brief No. 60
Subject Crime mapping
Keywords crime mapping, geocoding

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Summary

Aim

To describe how Local Government Area crime hotspot maps are produced and how they should be interpreted.

Results

The distribution of crime across a region is not random. A number of factors influence where crime occurs, including the physical and social characteristics of the place and the people using the place. Crime mapping can show us where the high crime areas are and help to provide an understanding of the factors that affect the distribution and frequency of crime. This knowledge can help improve crime prevention policies and programs. For example, it can help us to anticipate at-risk places, times and people; direct law enforcement resources; allocate victim services; design the most suitable crime prevention strategies; and so forth. This brief provides a description of how the Bureau’s Local Government Area crime hotspot maps are produced and how they should be interpreted.

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