Geo-spatial analysis of crime in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Criminal activities are important concerns for public safety of our contemporary society. Clarifying where different types of crimes occur is one of the many important functions of crime analyses. This research aimed to map and analyse crime in Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria, applying Geo-Spatial Technique. The attribute data were obtained from the Police Divisional Head Quarters in Kaduna. An administrative map of the study area was used to delineate the police districts according to the Divisional Police Headquarters Jurisdiction in Kaduna Metropolis. The study identified and mapped a total of 11 crime types in the study area. The coordinates of each crime incidence were obtained from Google Earth Pro 4.2, this is because the exact location were not captured when the crimes were committed. An overlay analysis was performed and all the acquired coordinates of the crimes were displayed on the composite map. Finally, a GIS database was created where the spatial and attribute data were encoded and query analysis was performed. The study revealed that Theft/Stealing and Hurting/Fight ranks highest with 19.29% and 16.82% respectively. The study also discovered that crime incidence is highest in Tudun Wada with (15.05%), followed by Sabon Tasha and Rigachikun with 10.24% and 10.16% respectively. The study also revealed that Tudunwada, Sabon Tasha, Rigachikun and Rigasa are the major crime hotspots in the metropolis. This research, therefore recommends more effort should be put towards fighting crime especially in the months of December and January as the two months have the highest number of crimes committed. Also, crime cases should be recorded in details alongside their geographical coordinates by the Nigerian police.

Keywords: GIS, Mapping, Spatial distribution, Crime