Spatial Analysis of Crime in Socially Distressed Cluster in Oke Ogun Region, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study is a methodological approach to measuring crime in distressed cluster in different geographic resolutions in Oke-Ogun Region of Oyo State with a view to examining spatial variation in crime concentration in the area. Crime reports of Oke-Ogun Region were collated from the Nigeria Police records on eighteen typologies of crime categorised in police blotter into crime against person and property from 2005 to 2015. Analytical techniques adapted to examine crime concentration were Zscore and Location Quotient of Crime (LQC). For the purpose of having the real picture of crime concentration as one moves across different spatial scales of settlements, settlements in the area were spatially disaggregated into three levels; urban, semi urban and rural settlements. Analysis with the use of Z-score showed that store breaking and arson for crime against property and murder for crime against person were more concentrated in rural settlements than every other crime type relatively. House breaking for crime against property, and breach of peace for crime against person were more concentrated in semi urban settlements, while burglary for crime against property, rape and indecent assault and unnatural offence for crime against person were conspicuously concentrated in urban settlements. Concentration of property crime therefore decreases as one move from rural areas to urban areas with Z scores of -1.15, 0.33 and 1.84 in urban, semi urban and rural areas respectively. However, the concentration of crime against person increases as one move from rural areas through semi urban to urban settlement, with Z scores of 4.06, 0.56 and -3.72 in urban, semi urban and rural areas respectively. Further analysis with LQC was done, and it was observed that rural settlements had (LQC =0.98) a disproportionately low share of 2% of crimes against person relative to urban settlement and that armed robbery, arson and false pretense / cheating are endemic nature of both semi urban and rural settlements. The study concluded that the cluster of aggregated crime types conformed to regular spatial pattern with declining crime cluster as one move from urban areas through semi urban to rural settlement.