Volume 21, Issue 2 e1630
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Unpacking the journey to property crime in Changchun, China

Ziyu Zhao

Corresponding Author

Ziyu Zhao

School of Tourism and Geography Science, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China

Correspondence

Ziyu Zhao, School of Tourism and Geography Science, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao, Shandong, China.

Email: [email protected]

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Heng Zhou

Heng Zhou

School of Tourism and Geography Science, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China

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Qian (Chayn) Sun

Qian (Chayn) Sun

School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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First published: 05 March 2024

Abstract

Journey to crime describes the spatial patterns of offenders from their residential area to the crime location. When compared to other research topics regarding urban crime, there is still a lack of research on journey to crime, especially in China, as a result of which the behavioural motivation of offenders cannot be comprehensively examined. Four typical types of crimes committed against property (pickpocketing, robbery, theft and burglary) were investigated in the Nanguan District of Changchun from 2010 to 2016. The results showed significant effects of the demographic characteristics of offenders and spatiotemporal factors on the journey to crime. In terms of the place of household registration, offenders from the central urban districts of Changchun tend to commit short-distance local robbery, whereas those from the suburban counties tend to commit long-distance non-local crimes. With increasing population density, the proportion of local plunders increases directly. This study aims to encourage urban managers to rethink the governance of floating populations, and assist police in strengthening social security.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Research data are not shared.

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