Do Social Barriers Affect Urban Crime Trips? The Effects of Ethnic and Economic Neighbourhood Compositions on the Flow of Crime in The Hague, The Netherlands

Using data on all cleared crimes in the city of The Hague, The Netherlands, in the period 1996-2004, we study the flow of crime between the ninety-four neighbourhoods of the city, i.e. the flows from the neighbourhoods where offenders live into the neighbourhoods where they commit their offences. The results show that in addition to physical distance, ethnic and economic differences between neighbourhoods ('social barriers') also significantly limit the flow of crime between them.