ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to identify spatial and temporal variations in motor vehicle thefts on a public, 4-year University campus and in the surrounding community. Utilizing Routine Activities Theory, it was hypothesized that the presence of tens of thousands of students on campus and in the surrounding area would provide an influx of opportunities (suitable targets) and that guardianship of these vehicles is likely lower among college students than among the general population. Our results generally support the latter hypothesis. The results also show that the locations of thefts and the aggregate measures of motivated offenders, guardianship and opportunities influence the location of thefts. Preventative measures to increase guardianship and decrease target suitability are discussed.

摘要

本研究的目的是确定公共 4 年制大学校园和周边社区机动车辆盗窃的时空变化。利用日常活动理论，假设校园内和周边地区数以万计的学生的存在将提供大量机会（合适的目标），并且大学生对这些车辆的监护可能低于一般学生人口。我们的结果通常支持后一种假设。结果还表明，盗窃地点和犯罪动机、监护权和机会的综合措施会影响盗窃地点。讨论了增加监护和降低目标适用性的预防措施。