NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF REPEAT VICTIMIZATION

Abstract

Research has demonstrated an elevated risk of burglary following an initial incident. The present study examines the time course of repeat victimization, and extends understanding by examining the relationships between repeat victimization and deprivation, and burglary ‘hotspots’. Consistent with other studies, the rate of repeat victimization was higher than that expected on the basis of statistical likelihood. Interestingly, the time course of repeat victimization conformed to an exponential model. Two alternative hypotheses are presented to attempt to explain this relationship. One highlights the increased vulnerability of a household following an initial burglary; the other attempts to explain the variation in repeat victimization in terms of characteristics of the offender. Other findings indicate a clear relationship between repeat victimization and deprivation, and suggest that the geographical location of repeat victimizations may well contribute to the definition of burglary ‘hotspots’. The results have clear implications for proactive policing and policy making.