Patrones de movilidad espacial de incendiarios urbanosun estudio exploratorio/ Spatial mobility patterns of urban arsonists: an explorative study

  1. Maldonado Guzmán, Diego Jesús 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Cádiz
    info

    Universidad de Cádiz

    Cádiz, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04mxxkb11

Journal:
International e-journal of criminal sciences

ISSN: 1988-7949

Year of publication: 2019

Issue: 13

Type: Article

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More publications in: International e-journal of criminal sciences

Abstract

This paper seeks to present criminal investigation method for the analysis of the spatial behavior of serial offenders. Specifically, given the low attention received by subjects who start deliberate fire on public roads, an analysis of the mobility patterns of urban arsonists is shown by an exploratory study of the distances traveled from their homes to each crime scene, as well as the phenomenon of the buffer zone described by Brantingham & Brantingham (1981) within the process of selecting the place of crime. The procedure is exemplified using a sample of five incendiaries that set deliberate fire on the urban settings. The results obtained suggest that the arsonists act in areas close to their home and that they correspond to their areas of activity and awareness, traveling an average of 1.1 km from their anchor point. Four of the five incendiaries analyzed exhibit the phenomenon of the buffer zone, starting their fires at least 0.250 km from their home. The findings also suggest the usefulness of the circle of Canter and Larking (1993) to detect the domicile of the arsonists. Applying the presented method can have positive implications in the resolution of serial crimes.

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