The Effects of Population Density on Theft in Urban Areas

Urbanization in developing countries led to the emergence of metropolitan cities and consequently in population density which in turn has resulted in many benefits and drawbacks. The spread of crime and especially theft is one of the inevitable outcomes directly affecting the welfare and security of the families which in turn has brought about challenges such as difficulty in planning fighting against crime. This study analyses the relationship between theft and population density in Kermanshah urban areas using a descriptive-analytical research method. The statistical population is the 2011 population of the city and the crimes committed in the meantime. Arc/GIS and SPSS soft wares were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that theft spatial distribution in Kermanshah follows a centralized clustered model. It was also found that there is a 5% significance level difference between population density and theft and that there was no significant relationship between the scope of the area and theft.