In this exploratory study, we identify the spatial risk factors associated with gang membership and gang crime in New Zealand using social disorganization as a theoretical framework. Gang membership data from the Gang Intelligence Center and gang crime data from New Zealand Police are included in spatial regression models to identify risk factors. Overall marginal support was found for the use of social disorganization constructs to explain gang membership and gang crime in New Zealand. Higher deprivation and higher diversity were both found to be associated with gang membership and gang crime, respectively. Some similarities and notable differences were observed between our results and the mainly U.S.-centric results of past spatial gang research. This study allows for a greater understanding of the generalizability of the social disorganization theory to explain gang membership and gang crime in areas with markedly different cultural perspectives and ethnocentricities to the United States.

在这项探索性研究中，我们使用社会解体作为理论框架，确定了与新西兰帮派成员身份和帮派犯罪相关的空间风险因素。来自帮派情报中心的帮派成员数据和来自新西兰警方的帮派犯罪数据都包含在空间回归模型中，以识别风险因素。总体边际支持使用社会解体结构来解释新西兰的帮派成员身份和帮派犯罪。发现更高的剥夺和更高的多样性分别与帮派成员身份和帮派犯罪有关。我们的结果与过去空间帮派研究的主要以美国为中心的结果之间存在一些相似之处和显着差异。