Risky localities Measuring socioeconomic characteristics of high murder areas

Abstract

Every day, on average, more than 49 people are murdered in South Africa. A better understanding of the demographics of locations with high murder and other crime rates could assist the development of initiatives to reduce them. It could also provide the basis for research into how social structures and relationships affect violence reduction. This article explores the hypothesis that the risk of murder is associated with certain demographic characteristics in particular locations. It proposes a method for analysing the demographic characteristics of police precincts in relation to the murder rate, and provides a summary of initial results. The article concludes with a discussion on the usefulness and limitations of this approach.