Spatial Distribution of Crime in Bangladesh: An Analysis

Abstract

Crime mapping has become popular as a way of analysing the spatial distribution of crime, and its use enables effective crime prevention strategies to be employed based on the analysis of hotspots. However, in Bangladesh crime mapping using Geographic Information System (GIS) is still in its infancy. This paper intends to focus on the spatial distribution of crime throughout the major administrative divisions of Bangladesh and to explore how it varies according to region. Its objective is to fill the existing knowledge gap in terms of the spatial distribution of crime in Bangladesh with the help of GIS software. All associated issues behind any crime patterns in different regions have been analysed here using references from established research. This study also illustrates the trend analysis of crime in the last three years, from 2016 to 2018, to understand the patterns of crime distribution as per present administrative divisions. It also focuses on the relative frequency of incidents of crime in all the regions of Bangladesh. Additionally, this study indicates that areas with big cities (Dhaka and Chattogram) are more prone to harbouring a greater number of offenders than other areas. As an initial study using GIS-based computerised crime mapping in Bangladesh, this research may have an important role in showing division wise crime distribution.