Gregory Dennis Breetzke

Close proximity to alcohol outlets is associated with increased serious violent crime in New Zealand.

Objective: To examine the association between geographic access to alcohol outlets and serious violent crime in New Zealand.

Seasonal Assault and Neighborhood Deprivation in South Africa: Some Preliminary Findings

Little is known about spatial and temporal variations of violent crime in South Africa. This article addresses this gap by investigating the seasonality of assault at a neighborhood level in the city of Tshwane. The authors first investigate whether assault is seasonal, and then examine the association between seasonal levels of assault and area measures of social deprivation for urban neighborhoods in Tshwane. Similar to previous international research, the authors found that assault is seasonal, with higher incidences of assault in summer. Deprived neighborhoods exhibited higher rates of assault than more affluent neighborhoods. Assault levels in urban neighborhoods were found to be socially stratified and spatially patterned regardless of the season of the year. More deprived neighborhoods had higher assault rates in summer, whereas in winter, assault rates were more equably split over neighborhoods ranging from high to low deprivation. More affluent neighborhoods typically exhibited lower assault rates in summer.

Geographical information systems (GIS) and policing in South Africa: a review

Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to explore the developments which have precipitated the use and integration of geographical information systems (GIS) within the South African Police Services (SAPS).Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a historical overview of GIS within South Africa, supplemented with the legislative origins of the integration of GIS within policing in South Africa. Various spatial analytic operations that GIS technology affords are highlighted to illustrate the potential that the technology offers to law enforcement agencies in South Africa.Findings – A number of challenges face the full integration of GIS within the day‐to‐day policing operations of the SAPS. Several critical success factors are identified which need to be eminently satisfied before the widespread integration of GIS within the SAPS can be achieved.Originality/value – GIS is envisaged as a tool to benefit the criminal justice community by playing an important role in the policing and crime prevention ...

Paper-based GIS : a practical answer to the implementation of GIS education into resource-poor schools in South Africa

Abstract Geographical information systems (GIS) were phased into the geography curriculum of South African schools from 2006–2008 as part of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for grades 10–12. Since its introduction, GIS education in schools across the country has been met with a number of challenges including the cost of purchasing the hardware and software required to elucidate the basic concepts of GIS to learners. This article examines the introduction of GIS education in schools in South Africa. The development and distribution of a paper-based GIS educational package for resource-poor schools in the country is also highlighted. Preliminary educator and learner evaluations of the paper-based GIS package are discussed and the broader learning opportunities and benefits associated with flexible teaching mechanisms are examined.

Understanding the magnitude and extent of crime in post-apartheid South Africa

The crime of apartheid (1951–1994) was predicated upon the spatial segregation of the countrys diverse population according to certain state-defined racial groups. This socio-spatial redesign not only racialised South African cities but led to the concentrated disadvantage of the majority black population in certain segregated geographical areas. Despite democracy, apartheids urban spatiality has not automatically dissolved but rather continues to shape and define the urban landscape. This article argues that these macro-social patterns of racial and spatial inequalities, borne out of repressively enforced apartheid-era segregationist policies, can be used to explain the magnitude and extent of crime in post-apartheid South Africa. Policing and developmental policy implications of this argument are outlined and discussed, and strategic recommendations are made for the future.

The independent associations of recorded crime and perceived safety with physical health in a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of men and women in New Zealand

Objectives We investigated associations of officially recorded crime and perceived neighbourhood safety with physical health, evaluating potential effect modification by gender. Setting Nationally representative population-based survey in New Zealand. Participants Individual-level data from 6995 New Zealand General Social Survey (2010–2011) participants with complete data on physical health status, perceived neighbourhood safety, sociodemographic characteristics and smoking. Crime rate for each participants home census was estimated based on data from the New Zealand Police (2008–2010). Primary outcome measure The Transformed Physical Composite Score from the SF-12, a physical health summary score based on self-report ranging from 0 to 100. Results We used cluster robust multivariable regression models to examine the associations among neighbourhood crime rates, perceived neighbourhood safety and the physical health summary score. Crime rates predicted adults’ perception that it was unsafe to walk in their neighbourhood at night: for each additional crime per 100 000 residents adults were 1.9% more likely to perceive their neighbourhood as unsafe (95% CI 1.2% to 2.5%). While relatively uncommon, the rate of crime with a weapon strongly predicted perceived safety: for each additional crime per 100 000 residents in this category, adults were 12.9% more likely to report the neighbourhood as unsafe (95% CI 8.8% to 17.0%). Police-recorded violent and night crime rates were associated with worse physical health among women: for each additional crime per 100 000 residents in these category women had a 0.3 point lower physical health score (95% CIs −0.6 to −0.1 for violent crime and −0.5 to −0.1 for crime at night, gender interaction p values 0.08 and 0.01, respectively). Perceiving the neighbourhood as unsafe was independently associated with 1.0 point lower physical health score (95% CI −1.5 to −0.5). Conclusions Gender may modify the associations of officially recorded crime rates with physical health. Perceived neighbourhood safety was independently associated with physical health.

Burglary in Gated Communities An Empirical Analysis Using Routine Activities Theory

Gated communities have experienced phenomenal growth worldwide due in part to increasing fear of urban crime and violence. However, very little is known about the effect of gating a neighborhood on rates of criminal victimization. In this article, we fill this gap by examining the relationship between residential burglary and gated communities in Tshwane, South Africa. South Africa has over 26,000 registered gated communities and high levels of violent and property crime, making it a suitable geographical focus area for research of this nature. Using variables informed by routine activities theory, we ran a series of regression models to assess the independent effect of gating on rates of day and night time burglary. The findings indicate that gated neighborhoods have a significant positive association with burglary rates in both day and night time models, suggesting that residing in a gated community actually increases one’s risk of burglary victimization. Possible explanations for these unexpected findings are discussed in the context of South Africa’s unique sociopolitical past.

A geodemographic profiler for high offender propensity areas in the city of Tshwane, South Africa

Postapartheid South Africa has been plagued by an increase in crime across all categories. While a significant amount of criminological research has been undertaken in the country, the spatial analysis of crime and offenders, a basic prerequisite for a functional crime management strategy, has not been adequately addressed at a sufficiently fine scale of aggregation. This paper reports on the geodemographic development of offender risk profiles for neighbourhoods in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa. Geodemographics is a relatively new geo-analytical technique that is being increasingly used in policing applications to complement law enforcement techniques and provide further insight into offenders and their offences. Findings of the study indicate that neighbourhoods at a high risk for offender development are amongst the most socially and economically deprived in the municipality and are disproportionately occupied by black Africans. The results highlight a need to reassess the current law enforcement approach to crime reduction in the country and return to the crime prevention initiatives that were part of the National Crime Prevention Strategy of the 1990s.

A Critique of Distance Learning as an Educational Tool for GIS in South Africa

The advancement of distance learning as an educational tool for geographic information systems (GIS) has been at the forefront of educational development at tertiary institutions in the last decade in South Africa. Distance education is envisaged as a means whereby previously disadvantaged members of society, of all ages, can enrol either directly or remotely at a tertiary education institution at a reduced cost. The experiences of the UNIGIS distance learning programme at the University of Pretoria (UP) in South Africa have shown that logistical, technical and practical problems, including a high cancellation rate and the delayed completion of the programme in its entirety, abound when attempts are made to reproduce an internationally recognized distance-based course in a developing world environment. Critical success factors are identified and need to be fully satisfied before widespread GIS dissemination through distance education in South Africa can be achieved.

Examining the spatial periodicity of crime in South Africa using Fourier analysis

This paper analyses the periodicity of violent and property crimes committed in Tshwane, South Africa from 2001 to 2006. Conventional monthly, daily and hourly variations in these types of crime are highlighted and then Fourier analysis is introduced as an advanced mathematical technique which is able to identify periodic peaks or signals of crime contained within a large time-series crime data-set. Specifically, Fourier analysis is used to examine crime periodicities in Tshwane in neighbourhoods stratified by social deprivation. Across most neighbourhood quintiles, there is a notable peak in violent crimes every 7–10 days. That is, every 7–10 days over the 5 years, there is a peak in violent crimes in most neighbourhoods in Tshwane. There is also a marginal peak occurring roughly every 50–60 days in neighbourhood Quintiles 1 (most affluent) and 3 (‘middle class’). Similar to violent crimes, the largest consistent periodicity for property crimes was observed across all five neighbourhood quintiles approximately every 7–10 days. A significant peak was also observed in property crime in Quintile 3 (‘middle class’) roughly every 75 days. Tentative explanations are provided for the results obtained.