Spatial and temporal variations in motor vehicle theft in a university environment

The purpose of this research was to identify spatial and temporal variations in motor vehicle thefts on a public, 4-year University campus and in the surrounding community. Utilizing Routine Activities Theory, it was hypothesized that the presence of tens of thousands of students on campus and in th...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Bjerregaard, Beth (Author) ; Akin, Shelleen (Author) ; Moses, Sarah (Author) ; Towers, Crystal (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2021
In: Journal of crime and justice
Year: 2021, Volume: 44, Issue: 5, Pages: 595-615
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
spatial analysis
Routine Activities Theory
Campus crime
Motor Vehicle Theft
Description
Summary:The purpose of this research was to identify spatial and temporal variations in motor vehicle thefts on a public, 4-year University campus and in the surrounding community. Utilizing Routine Activities Theory, it was hypothesized that the presence of tens of thousands of students on campus and in the surrounding area would provide an influx of opportunities (suitable targets) and that guardianship of these vehicles is likely lower among college students than among the general population. Our results generally support the latter hypothesis. The results also show that the locations of thefts and the aggregate measures of motivated offenders, guardianship and opportunities influence the location of thefts. Preventative measures to increase guardianship and decrease target suitability are discussed.
ISSN:2158-9119
DOI:10.1080/0735648X.2020.1842789