PhD Scholar

A spatio-temporal analysis of what makes people afraid of crime.

E-mail: u4020475@anu.edu.au

Regardless of whether crime is present, people avoid areas where they feel afraid of becoming a victim of crime. With the widespread adoption of this response, fear of crime has emerged as a distinct phenomenon that can cause numerous problems for the community. Research into the geography of avoidance, can potentially provide information used to reduce public fear of crime and curb the negative consequences that result. For example, it can allow police and government resources to be targeted to fear hotspots and toward specific environmental cues that trigger fear of crime.

My research provides a spatio-temporal investigation into fear of crime.

I use GIS to produce fear maps showing the avoidance patterns adopted by people who fear being robbed, beaten or attacked in Kings Cross. The maps allow an exploration of avoidance triggered by different environmental cues. A number of social environmental cues are mapped, including the presence of 'junkies', intoxicated persons, prostitutes, gangs and loitering people. Physical environmental cues area also mapped, including the presence of poor street lighting, vandalism, rubbish or syringes and laneways. The patterns of avoidance adopted by different socio-demographic groups in response to these environmental cues are additionally examined for selected environmental cues.