Crime hotspot
Definition
A small geographic area where crime incidents cluster at a rate significantly higher than surrounding areas over a defined time period. Hotspot identification is typically done using kernel density estimation or spatial autocorrelation statistics applied to address-level crime data in a GIS platform.
Related terms
- CompStat
- A police management and accountability system first implemented by the New York City Police Department in 1994. CompStat uses regularly updated crime...
- Dark figure of crime
- The gap between the actual volume of crime and the amount recorded in official statistics. Crimes go unrecorded when victims do not...
- Geographic information system (GIS)
- Software that stores, analyses, and visualises data tied to geographic coordinates. In crime analysis, GIS platforms such as ArcGIS or the open-source...
- Recording rate
- The proportion of crimes known to police that are formally entered into official statistics. Recording rates below 100% produce a secondary dark...
- Victimisation survey
- A survey that asks a random population sample about crimes experienced in a reference period, regardless of whether those incidents were reported...
Explained in
- The Dark Figure of Crime and Crime MappingA small geographic area where crime incidents cluster at a rate significantly higher than surrounding areas over a defined time period. Hotspot identification...