Changes in Spatiotemporal Patterns of Crimes During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Atlanta, Georgia

IF 2 4区社会学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy Pub Date : 2023-08-23 DOI:10.1007/s12061-023-09531-0

Kyusik Kim, Jiyoung Lee, Yoonjung Ahn, Sunhui Sim, Jihoon Jung

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented environment for studying the impact of lockdowns and mobility restrictions on crime. Focusing on crimes, this study first detected emerging clusters of four types of crime (larceny, auto theft, burglary, and robbery) in Atlanta using space-time permutation scan statistics. We then investigated how the spatiotemporal patterns of these clusters changed during the pandemic (2020) compared to the pre-pandemic period (2019). Finally, we classified the detected clusters based on their duration and radius. Our results show that burglary clusters became shorter and smaller during the pandemic. The average duration and radius of statistically significant burglary clusters were 10.75 days and 0.79 km for 2019, but 6.86 days and 0.45 km for 2020, respectively. In contrast, we observed more larceny clusters that were temporally longer and spatially larger during the pandemic than in the pre-pandemic period. The duration and radius of statistically significant larceny clusters were 17.67 days and 0.46 km for 2019 and 23.22 days and 0.75 km for 2020, respectively. Furthermore, we noted a shift in the clusters from residential areas to commercial areas. We however detected a very limited number of auto theft and robbery clusters. Our findings have the potential to help prioritize future police force deployment and resource allocation in similar lockdown environments, such as pandemics or natural disasters.

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新冠肺炎大流行期间犯罪时空模式的变化——以佐治亚州亚特兰大市为例

COVID-19 大流行为研究封锁和流动限制对犯罪的影响提供了前所未有的环境。本研究以犯罪为重点，首先利用时空置换扫描统计发现了亚特兰大四类犯罪（盗窃、汽车盗窃、入室盗窃和抢劫）的新集群。然后，我们研究了与大流行前（2019 年）相比，大流行期间（2020 年）这些集群的时空模式发生了哪些变化。最后，我们根据持续时间和半径对检测到的集群进行了分类。我们的结果表明，在大流行期间，入室盗窃集群变得更短更小。有统计意义的入室盗窃集群的平均持续时间和半径在 2019 年分别为 10.75 天和 0.79 千米，而在 2020 年则分别为 6.86 天和 0.45 千米。相比之下，我们观察到更多的盗窃集群在大流行期间比大流行前时间更长、空间更大。统计意义上的盗窃集群的持续时间和半径在 2019 年分别为 17.67 天和 0.46 千米，在 2020 年分别为 23.22 天和 0.75 千米。此外，我们注意到盗窃集群从居民区向商业区转移。不过，我们发现的汽车盗窃和抢劫集群数量非常有限。我们的研究结果可能有助于在类似的封锁环境（如大流行病或自然灾害）中确定未来警力部署和资源分配的优先次序。

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来源期刊

Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy Multiple-

CiteScore

3.80

自引率

5.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Description The journal has an applied focus: it actively promotes the importance of geographical research in real world settings It is policy-relevant: it seeks both a readership and contributions from practitioners as well as academics The substantive foundation is spatial analysis: the use of quantitative techniques to identify patterns and processes within geographic environments The combination of these points, which are fully reflected in the naming of the journal, establishes a unique position in the marketplace. RationaleA geographical perspective has always been crucial to the understanding of the social and physical organisation of the world around us. The techniques of spatial analysis provide a powerful means for the assembly and interpretation of evidence, and thus to address critical questions about issues such as crime and deprivation, immigration and demographic restructuring, retailing activity and employment change, resource management and environmental improvement. Many of these issues are equally important to academic research as they are to policy makers and Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy aims to close the gap between these two perspectives by providing a forum for discussion of applied research in a range of different contexts Topical and interdisciplinaryIncreasingly government organisations, administrative agencies and private businesses are requiring research to support their ‘evidence-based’ strategies or policies. Geographical location is critical in much of this work which extends across a wide range of disciplines including demography, actuarial sciences, statistics, public sector planning, business planning, economics, epidemiology, sociology, social policy, health research, environmental management. FocusApplied Spatial Analysis and Policy will draw on applied research from diverse problem domains, such as transport, policing, education, health, environment and leisure, in different international contexts. The journal will therefore provide insights into the variations in phenomena that exist across space, it will provide evidence for comparative policy analysis between domains and between locations, and stimulate ideas about the translation of spatial analysis methods and techniques across varied policy contexts. It is essential to know how to measure, monitor and understand spatial distributions, many of which have implications for those with responsibility to plan and enhance the society and the environment in which we all exist. Readership and Editorial BoardAs a journal focused on applications of methods of spatial analysis, Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy will be of interest to scholars and students in a wide range of academic fields, to practitioners in government and administrative agencies and to consultants in private sector organisations. The Editorial Board reflects the international and multidisciplinary nature of the journal.