ALTERNATIVES FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF URBAN CRIME AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF CRIMINOGENIC ZONES. NEW INDICATORS BASED ON THE PRESENCE OF POPULATION

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to propose alternative ways of measuring crime rates in urban settings, comparing the use of the presence of population with the traditional measurement, that is, the residential population. The analysis is carried out for three types of crimes: domestic violence, personal robbery and business robbery. To achieve this, a methodology of spatial analysis of the data of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (ZMG), Mexico is conducted. The results show that, for some types of crime, the presence of population can more accurately identify the population at risk, which can constitute a very useful public policy tool for crime prevention, since in addition to achieving a more precise estimation of the phenomenon, the areas that generate and attract crime can be identified.