MAPPING CRIME HOTSPOTS USING KERNEL DENSITY ESTIMATION (KDE) FOR DEFENSIBLE SPACE.

This paper aims to map crime hotspots, and to determine high and low crime areas in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The data is analysed using kernel density estimation (KDE) in the ArcGIS 10.5 spatial analysis tool software to identify hotspot areas and buffer analysis for hotspot streets, which is displayed in raster format. The study uses index crimes, which has 26,739 points (x, y coordinates) from 2010 to 2016. This study involves ten boundaries of police stations in Petaling Jaya. The results indicate that there is a clustering of crime hotspots found in seven areas in the study area, namely Kelana Jaya, Sg. Way, Sea Park, Kota Damansara, Seksyen 17, Damansara and the city centre of Petaling Jaya. The crime hot streets are found to be of very high priority are in seven roads; 23 roads are of high priority; 83 roads are medium; low priority in 694 roads; and 13,902 roads have very low crime. The outcome of this paper allows law enforcement agencies and policymakers to consider the hotspot areas and streets in the implementation of strategic planning for reducing crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]