Testing the adequacy of a single-value Monte Carlo simulation for space-time interaction of crime

The goal of this study is to determine the number of iterations (r) required in a Monte Carlo based space-time interaction analysis of crime data sets, in order to test the adequacy of using a single value of 999 iterations. A case study of burglary crime data sets is presented in which Knox test is used for the analysis of space-time interactions. The outcomes of this analysis demonstrate that the use of a single value, such as 999, does not always represent the most appropriate number of iterations especially when multiple ST neighbourhood sizes are involved. This analysis opens further research opportunities into determining the best strategy to defining the expected distribution in a space-time interaction analysis of crime.