| dc.description.abstract | This study examines the micro-spatial and temporal patterns of violent crime in Oslo and Bergen. The observation that the majority of crime within a city tends to cluster in a small number of micro-places (e.g. street segments or small grid-cells) has sparked the field of ‘criminology of place,’ which concerns itself with the study of micro-geographical distributions of crime and related characteristics. Research has recently paid overt attention to the spatial-temporal patterns of crime, determinants of crime concentrations, and the recent proposal of a ‘law of crime concentration’ applicable across cities and stable over time. Engagement with this area of research appears promising in regard to advancing strategies of crime prevention, and is especially lacking in a Norwegian context. Therefore, the main research objectives of this study are to examine spatial-temporal patterns and concentrations of violent crime in the cities of Oslo and Bergen, attempt to explain these concentrations, and lastly, test the law of crime concentration in a Norwegian context. Police incident data on violent crime, geocoded to grid-cells of 100m by 100m, as well as data regarding physical attributes inherent to these grid-cells were employed in pursuing the research objectives. Crime maps were produced to visually examine the spatial-temporal patterns and concentrations of violence, and models of multiple linear regression were run to better understand the effect of environmental factors in explaining these concentrations. Finally, a grid-cell analysis was conducted to assess the validity of the law of crime concentration in a Norwegian context. Findings confirm that violent crime concentrates at the grid-cell level, albeit not strongly enough to allocate full support for a law of crime concentration. Further, findings suggest that the temporal fluctuations within hot spots largely reflect the underlying function inherent to each location. Environmental factors (public transit stations, major roads, residential areas and commercial areas) contributed significantly in explaining these concentrations of violent crime. However, the impact of grid-cell characteristics were seen to vary by urban setting. In sum, it is evident that analysis of micro-spatial and temporal patterns of violence as well as the effect of environmental factors in explaining its micro-spatial concentrations aids in facilitating a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. These findings present an essential step in the development towards common knowledge of crime at micro-places, as well as advancing place-based policing strategies. Future studies should examine the spatial-temporal patterns of other crime types, further contribute to the question of generalizability of the law of crime concentration, and employ an integrated theoretical approach considering also the effect of social disorganization factors on the micro-spatial concentrations of violent crime in order to continue to deepen our understanding of crime at place. | eng |