NCJ Number
129774
Date Published
1990
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Information from all violent incidents reported to the police in one precinct of Berlin, Germany formed the basis of an analysis of the nature and geographic patterns of violence.
Abstract
The Neukolln precinct was chosen as representative of the entire city because it includes both older sections and modern apartment complexes. Of the 30,000 crimes reported from October 1981 through September 1982, 7,500 involved the use of violence. The most frequently reported offenses were vandalism (38 percent) and violence against others (38 percent). Serious violence against persons (murder, attempted murder, or serious injuries) was extremely rare, occurring in only 0.2 percent of the cases. Contrary to expectations, the old town generated about 2.5 times more violence reports than the anonymous apartments. Foreign victims and public buildings such as schools and hospitals rarely reported offenses. However, the research did not consider factors affecting reporting practices. Results indicated that a geographical analysis of violence cannot be based on reported crime alone; it must also consider the socio-ecological context. Data tables