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Abstract
The goals of this study were as follows: (1) to increase the basic knowledge of offender demographics and geographical characteristics in residential burglaries by taking into account the means of transportation used in the offence; and (2) to explore the possibility that the information about the means of transportation improves the investigation of residential burglaries. A correspondence analysis of the means of transportation and offender demographics yielded two dimensions – criminality and age. Regarding geographical characteristics, from descriptive statistics of residence-to-crime distance and distance between offences, offenders using walking or a bicycle (neighbour type) had a smaller offence area near the residence than offenders using a motor vehicle, a motorcycle, or public transportation (regional type). As information intended for practical application, the ROC curve revealed that descriptive statistics of distance between offences is effective for prediction of neighbour and regional type offenders (AUC ≥ 0.70). Furthermore, as a result of applying methods of estimating the location of the offender's residence to neighbour and regional type offenders, narrow estimates of the area containing the offender's residence at a high rate were obtained for neighbour type offenders. The results were discussed in terms of their usefulness for burglary investigations.
Acknowledgements
My sincerest appreciation extends to Dr. Kazumi Watanabe from the National Research Institute of Police Science, Professor Keita Ochi from Hosei University, Mr. Hirokazu Iwami from Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters, Ms. Aiko Hanayama from Aomori Prefectural Police Headquarters, and three anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions and helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.