Crime against Businesses: Temporal Stability of Hot Spots in Mexicali, Mexico

• Main Authors: Fabiola Denegri, Judith Ley-García
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
• Subjects: spatial pattern; thefts; Pareto principle; GIS; hot spot
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/10/3/178

In developing countries, crime is a serious problem that affects the operation and viability of firms. Offenses such as vandalism, robbery, and theft raise the operating costs of firms and imposes on them indirect costs. The literature on spatial analysis of crime is vast; however, relatively little research has addressed business crime, especially in developing countries’ cities. Spatial and temporal analysis of crime concentration represents a basic input for the design and implementation of appropriate prevention and control strategies. This article explores the spatial concentration and stability of thefts committed against commercial establishments in the city of Mexicali, Mexico, from 2009 to 2011 using the Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve, and decile maps. Results revealed that thefts were highly concentrated in a small percentage of urban basic geostatistical areas. Moreover, a portion of these areas were classified as having the highest deciles of thefts (hot spots) and remained in this group throughout the period. In both cases, the relationship between crime and place was close to the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto principle.