NCJ Number
174590
Date Published
1997
Length
93 pages
Annotation
A total of 4,472 assault and robbery incidents recorded by the police in the Sydney Police District in New South Wales, Australia, between July 1995 and June 1996 were analyzed to determine their distribution in time and space, offender characteristics, and criminal methods and to suggest the implications for crime prevention.
Abstract
The police statistics were supplemented with contextual information provided by 259 victims surveyed between March 1996 and January 1997. Results revealed that the incidents were not distributed randomly and that Sydney had five major hot-spot zones with clusters of offenses. Offense clusters tended to be associated with main streets, particularly busy commercial streets with certain types of businesses. Incidents were more prevalent in the summer. Assault offenses generally involved young men who became involved in personal disputes after drinking alcohol. Two-thirds of assault incidents involved male victims and male offenders. Robberies involved varied criminal methods. Findings suggest that police use intelligence-based policing based on the identification of hot spots. Findings also indicated the need for stricter enforcement of liquor licensing legislation, effective place management, expansion of methadone maintenance treatment to reduce the income need generated by heroin addition, and other crime prevention strategies such as crime prevention through environmental design. Figures, tables, maps, notes, appended instrument and methodological information, and 47 references