The mapping of spatial patterns of property crime In Malaysia

Abstract

The objective of the study is to explore the geographic distribution and temporal patterns of property crime cases in Peninsular Malaysia by using spatial analysis. The property crime data from the year 2000 until 2009 was used in this study. To obtain the optimum number of crime components, the space-time Normal Mixture Models was used. Based on the results of this model, the mapping was presented. This map displays the spatial distribution of crime occurrence in 82 districts of Peninsular Malaysia. From this analysis, property crimes can be categorized into two components. There is a relationship between the property crime rate with household income and poverty. It was observed that as the household income increased in Johor, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, the rate of property crime decreased. Also, the high incidence of poverty increased property crime rate. This scenario can be seen at the states situated at the east coast region of the study area. The findings of this study can be used by the government, policy makers or responsible agencies to take any related action in crime prevention, human resource allocation and law enforcement.