Definition of geographic profiles of car theft. Case applied in Cartagena de Indias

Abstract

This study develops a geospatial analysis of car theft that occurred in the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. In defining crime profiles, theft was analyzed in the five modalities considered to have a high impact on the generation of citizens’ perception of security, namely, motor vehicles, motorcycles, residences, commercial establishments, and financial institutions, in 2015 and 2016. The data used are from the annual crime report of the Colombian National Police. As a result, seven geographic profiles of car theft were identified, generating characterized crime patterns visualized geographically.