Demarcation and Analysis of Crime-Prone Urban Settlements of Golestan Province

The present paper is an attempt to depict a picture of the condition of crime-prone places of Golestan Province, with emphasis on urban areas. The garnered data through survey and documents were given to the GIS and the crimes at the town, city and province levels were analyzed by using the following software programs: ArcGIS 9.2; 3D Analyst, and Crime Analysis. The findings of the research indicate that among the crimes studied theft and suicide have the highest frequency rate in Gorgan and Gonbad Kavoos, two great cities of the province. Also drug trafficking, suicide, murder and theft have the highest frequency rates in the cities of the province, but the rate of frequency in each city differs depending on the structure, social and economic features of the city. The dispersion of the crime-prone places, particularly in the urban areas, is in conformity with some of the theories offered in this field, including that of Durkheim who maintains that there is a relationship between increase in the number of crimes and population growth in the cities. The findings are also in congruence with the theories of George King and James Que who maintain that the demolished urban places and debris are effective in the occurrence of crime and disorder in the cities. Likewise the findings fall within the framework of Hall's theory who emphasizes on the relationship between population growth and expansion of urbanization with increase in the rate of crimes. The findings can be analyzed within the framework of several theories.