The impact of strict measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic on the spatial pattern of the demand for police: case study Antwerp (Belgium)

Abstract COVID-19 impacts the daily lives of millions of people. This radical change in our daily activities affected many aspects of life, but acted as well as a natural experiment for research into the spatial distribution of 911 calls. We analyse the impact of the COVID-19 measures on the spatial pattern of police interventions. Crime is not uniformly distributed across street segments, but how does COVID-19 affect these spatial patterns? To this end, Gini coefficients are calculated and a proportion differences spatial point pattern test is applied to compare the similarity of the patterns... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Maite Dewinter
Christophe Vandeviver
Philipp M. Dau
Tom Vander Beken
Frank Witlox
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2021
Reihe/Periodikum: Crime Science, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2021)
Verlag/Hrsg.: BMC
Schlagwörter: Spatial point pattern test / Police demand / Lockdown / Street segments / Emergency call data / Science (General) / Q1-390 / Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology / HV1-9960
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27003845
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-021-00156-7

Abstract COVID-19 impacts the daily lives of millions of people. This radical change in our daily activities affected many aspects of life, but acted as well as a natural experiment for research into the spatial distribution of 911 calls. We analyse the impact of the COVID-19 measures on the spatial pattern of police interventions. Crime is not uniformly distributed across street segments, but how does COVID-19 affect these spatial patterns? To this end, Gini coefficients are calculated and a proportion differences spatial point pattern test is applied to compare the similarity of the patterns of incidents before, during, and after the first lockdown in Antwerp, Belgium. With only essential mobility being allowed, the emergency call pattern has not significantly changed before, during or after this lockdown, however, a qualitative shift in police officer’s daily work may have had an effect on the daily operation of the Antwerp police force.