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In this study, we untangle the relationships between fear of crime (perceived risk of victimization) and perceptions of, respectively, social support, collective efficacy and perceived disorder. We use a two-wave panel study with 356 respondents. Results show that prior perceptions of disorder have a positive effect on later levels of perceived risk of victimization, lending support to the hypothesis that fear of crime is, in part, determined by perceived disorder. Levels of social support negatively affected later levels of perceived risk of victimization. Neither perceived informal social control nor perceived social trust had any effect on later levels of perceived risk of victimization. Strengths, weaknesses and suggestions for further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six different social disorganization models of neighbourhood crime and offender rates were tested using data from multiple sources in the city of The Hague, in the Netherlands. The sources included a community survey among 3,575 residents in 86 neighbourhoods measuring the central concepts of the six models. The data were aggregated to ecologically reliable neighbourhood measures and combined with census data. Crime rates and offender rates were calculated on geo-coded police-recorded data on crimes and apprehended suspects. Spatial regression models were applied to test social disorganization theories in a Western-European city. The findings reveal that social disorganization models do not fit the data well, and indicate that crime rates and offender rates may be caused by distinct urban processes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]