Study of the Fear of Crime in the Municipality of Trbovlje Using Crime Mapping Tools

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to show the crime rate in the year 2012 in the municipality of Trbovlje using the mapping program ArcGIS and to identify a possible link between density of crime and the level of fear of crime in local communities in Trbovlje. The analysis was conducted using official police statistics and geo-data on crime, and additionally, a descriptive method was used for the explanation of basic concepts and review of past studies. The bulk of the research is marked by a case study in the municipality of Trbovlje, where a questionnaire was used assess fear of crime. In the municipality of Trbovlje, the prevalent crime is crimes against property The findings and the comparison of the area of distribution of fear of crime in local communities and of crime density show that the level of fear among the population of individual local communities is proportionate to the distribution of crime. The results showed that gender does not have a significant effect on the perceptions of fear of crime; on the contrary, the main differences were identified in two factors: consequences of possible victimization and the capability of property insurance. The distribution of fear of crime by age groups differs from the distribution in conventional models, as the highest levels were observed in the group of middle-aged individuals (26-45 years), followed by the oldest group of the population, those over 75. The applicability of the findings is in assisting the police in identifying crime hot spots and hot areas and locations with a higher level of the fear of crime. On the basis of these results, the police can take appropriate action in the municipality of Trbovlje.