Risk terrain modeling unsafe places – Fear of crime in Trelleborg, Sweden

Risk terrain modeling (RTM) has become increasingly popular for analyzing crime but has, to date, rarely been performed using fear of crime related outcomes. In the present study we demonstrate the effectiveness of RTM in combination with conjunctive analysis of case configurations (CACC) for modeling perceived unsafe places. Bus stops, bars/restaurants, parks and violent crime incidents were the best predictors for unsafe places, with bars/restaurants ranked the highest. The CACC showed that the combination of violent crime and bars was the most predictive of unsafe places, whereas violent crime or bars by themselves had a much weaker association with a place being perceived as unsafe. Proximity to bus stops and parks was also associated with unsafe places, as were violent incidents, but a location with violent crime but no bar, bus stop or park exhibits the weakest association.