Investigating the Role of Socio-Economic Factors in Shaping Robbery Crime Patterns: A Study of Liverpool City Region

Abstract

This research focuses on the spatial and temporal trend analysis of robbery crimes in the Liverpool City Region from 2021 to 2024, with a particular emphasis on the impact of socio-economic variables. Using GIS in spatiotemporal analysis and a linear mixed-effects model, this study assesses the spread of robbery crimes throughout the six local areas comprising Liverpool, Knowsley, St. Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and Halton. The theoretical framework of the research is provided by the Social Disorganization Theory, where socioeconomic deprivation will be used to examine the effect on criminal patterns. The results show that there is a positive relationship between socio-economic deprivation and robbery incidence, which reinforces the assertion that areas with heightened levels of deprivation will experience heightened criminal activity. Yet, only a limited explanatory power of the model with solely socio-economic factors involved suggests that other factors, such as environment and policing, also play a significant role in the trends within crime. Spatial analysis pinpoints the key hotspots of robbery within Liverpool city centre in which crime has continually remained high despite distinct crime reduction initiatives. This study enhances the overall comprehension of urban criminality by presenting comprehensive maps that illustrate the geographic distribution of robbery offenses and proposing policy recommendations designed to enhance focused interventions. Furthermore, the research emphasizes the necessity of incorporating socio-economic and environmental factors into crime prevention approaches, while also underscoring the drawbacks of exclusively depending on police-reported data for crime evaluation. In this regard, future research should include more specific temporal data and other sources of crime data in order to further the knowledge of robbery trends across urban areas.