Langton, S, Dixon, A and Farrell, G orcid.org/0000-0002-3987-8457 (2021) Small area variation in crime effects of COVID-19 policies in England and Wales. Journal of Criminal Justice, 75. 101830. ISSN 0047-2352
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to examine small area variation in crime trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic in England and Wales. While we know how police-recorded crime responded to lockdown policies at the ‘macro’ level, less is known about the extent to which these trends were experienced uniformly at localized spatial scales.
Methods
Longitudinal k-means clustering is used to unpick local area variation in police notifiable offences across England and Wales. We describe the clusters identified in terms of their spatial patterning, opportunity structures and crime type profile.
Results
We find that in most small areas, crime remained fairly stable throughout the pandemic. Instead, a small number of meso-level areas contributed a disproportionately large amount to the macro-level trend. These were typically city centers with plentiful pre-pandemic crime opportunities, dominated by theft and shoplifting offences.
Conclusion
Findings offer support for opportunity theories of crime and for a mobility theory of crime during the pandemic. We explore potential implications for policy, theory and further research.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an author produced version of an article published in Journal of Criminal Justice. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | COVID-19; Clustering; K-means; Crime decline; Crime opportunity theory; Pandemic |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Law (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number RCUK (Research Councils UK) ES/V00445X/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 07 Jul 2021 09:37 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 00:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2021.101830 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:175935 |
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