Investigating and Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Pick-Pocketing Hotspots in the City of Semnan

Crime is one of the most important social problems in most cities in the world, which affects the lives of citizens. The aim of this article is the identifying the centers of pick-pocketing in the city of Semnan and explaining the factors influencing this delinquency in this city. This is a descriptive-analytical research. Statistical models and graphic-based models have been used in the geographic information system (GIS) in order to identify and understand the spatial patterns of the mentioned crimes in Semnan. The required information on the amount and type of crime has been obtained from the police. The findings of this paper show that the crime hot spots are more concentrated in the central part of the city of Semnan and the city's market, and in terms of time, the peak of this theft occurred on Saturday and Wednesday of the week and from 9 to 13 hours. On the other hand, the high level of commercial usage and the lack of some of the necessary usages for citizens, like green space which made the official monitoring of these areas very difficult, has influenced in increasing geographical distribution, the type and amount of crimes and the formation of spatial patterns of delinquency. It seems that with the organization and promotion per capita of facilities, equipment and services, creation of health recreational and leisure spaces, the expanding of the network of roads and locating the law enforcement centers in order to increase the official monitoring in this area, and the physical correction of residential spaces in this area, it is possible to reduce the vulnerability of these spaces and the rate of crimes.