Robbery and burglary Crimes in Gaza Governorates " A study in Crime Geography"

Abstract

Abstract in English Study Aim: This study aimed to shed light on the magnitude of the theft and burglary crimes in Gaza governorates and to identify the spatial and demographic distribution of those crimes as well as their perpetrators’ social and economic characteristics and their implications. Study Methodology and Tools: To achieve the study aims, the researcher depended on data from the Palestinian Ministry of Interior and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The researcher designed a questionnaire and distributed it to the study sample which consisted of 132 inmates in reform and rehabilitation centers and police stations’ detention centers in all Gaza governorates. The aim of the questionnaire was to identify the basic, social and economic characteristics of perpetrators of the theft and burglary crimes. Study Chapters: The study was divided into four chapters, where the first chapter included the theoretical framework of the study, while the second chapter comprised the geographical dimensions of the theft and burglary crimes in the governorates and the factors influencing them. The third chapter included the basic, social and economic characteristics of the perpetrators of the theft and burglary crimes, whereas the fourth chapter comprised the social, economic and religious factors of the theft and burglary crimes in Gaza governorates, as well as their social, economic and religious consequences. Study Results: The study revealed that the theft and burglary crimes in the Gaza governorates were of a fluctuating nature and that the real problem manifested itself in the difficult economic situation as (68.2%) of the study sample committed their crimes because of the difficult economic conditions. Study Recommendation: The study recommended the necessity of paying attention to crime statistics and their publication by the responsible authorities so that the researchers are able to study them. The study also recommended the need for increasing the numbers of security personnel in conjunction with the population increase, the need for security agencies to develop in commensuration with the rapidly increasing urban growth in the Gaza governorates, and the need for enacting laws commensurate with the gravity of the theft and burglary crimes.