Different Ways Ambient and Immobile Population Distributions Influence Urban Crime Patterns

Abstract

The article aims to propose a new way of estimating the ambient and immobile urban population using geotagged tweets and age structure, and to test how they are related to urban crime patterns. Using geotagged tweets and age structure data in 37 neighborhoods of Szczecin, Poland, we analyzed the following crime types that occurred during 2015–2017: burglary in commercial buildings, drug crime, fight and battery, property damage, and theft. Using negative binomial regression models, we found a positive correlation between the size of the ambient population and all investigated crime types. Additionally, neighborhoods with more immobile populations (younger than 16 or older than 65) tend to experience more commercial burglaries, but not other crime types. This may be related to the urban structure of Szczecin, Poland. Neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty and unemployment tend to experience more commercial burglaries, drug problems, property damage, and thefts. Additionally, the count of liquor stores is positively related to drug crime, fight-battery, and theft. This article suggests that the age structure of the population has an influence on the distribution of crime, thus it is necessary to tailor crime prevention strategies for different areas of the city.