Variations in the spatial distribution of crime events in an urban environment during the COVID-19 lockdown

ABSTRACT

The article presents the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on selected types of crime in Krakow and their spatial distribution during the lockdown period during the spring of 2020. We compared crimes committed over a three-month period from March 15 up to 15 June 2020 with crimes committed during the corresponding periods of previous years, i.e. in 2015–2019. To characterize their spatial distribution, we used the Nearest Neighbor Analysis method (NNA). In the next stage of the study, an intensity distribution map was prepared for five different crime categories in 2015–2019 using the kernel function method. The point data layer from 2020 was then superimposed on the intensity layer thus formed. The final step was to examine how generators/attractors affect the spatial clustering of crime before and during the pandemic. These two analyses allowed us to identify variation in those areas with the highest concentration of crime events (“hotspots”) that occurred as well as the impact of generators/attractors on the spatial distribution of crimes. The changes in crime patterns as a result of the pandemic restrictions were compared with existing criminological theories.

KEYWORDS:

• Spatial analysis
• hotspots
• crime
• COVID-19 pandemic
• lockdown

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Due to the nature of this research, participants of this study did not consent for their data to be shared publicly. Hence, no source supporting the data is available.

Additional information

Funding

The study was financially supported by the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland [no. 16.16.140.315].