Crime Mapping in Enugu Urban Area of Enugu State, Nigeria using GIS Approach

Abstract

The aim of this research was to use a GIS approach in mapping crime activities in Enugu urban area of Enugu State. This was achieved through the following objectives: acquiring comprehensive base map of the study area, developing a robust database on crime and performing various GIS analysis to show the crime patterns within the study area. The methodology adopted involved creating a geocoded database and digital maps of crime cases recorded in twelve (12) police stations situated in Enugu urban for the year 2015, using ARCGIS 10.2 software to carryout various spatial analytical procedures such as spatial query, spatial location query, multiple buffer analysis and kernel density hotspot mapping. The results of the research showed nineteen (19) different types of crimes mapped from geocoded crime data of reported crime cases/activities in various parts of the study area. The summary of findings were as follows: crime distribution was dependent on various factors which were spatial in nature and related to various points of interests; Hotspot analysis of crimes recorded revealed five (5) hotspots where crime activities were concentrated in Enugu urban namely- New haven, Ogui, Coal camp, Uwani and Achalla layout; areas further away from police stations were prone to more crime activities. It was recommended that an increase in policing/ ground patrol around tertiary institutions, schools, banks and recreational areas in Enugu urban; creation police outposts and implementing neighborhood watch in hotspots where crimes are concentrated.

Keywords: Crime, Geocoding, Geodatabase, GIS, Mapping, Spatial Analysis, Spatial Query