POLICIES

Base of Ace: Austrian Crime Explorer – Analysis, Identification and Quantificaton of the Causes of Regional Differences in Crime Rates

As part of the BASE of ACE projects, a study on the influence of environmental factors - so-called criminological factors - was made on crime. The results of this study should serve as a basis for the implementation of the Austrian Crime Explorer (ACE).

Ace of Base Sachbeschädigung 2010
Project goals

A key project objective was to compile basic data and knowledge that would allow the prediction of regional differences in crime in Austria. The scientific objective was to identify and quantify the criminological factors. Working toward this goal, the status of the background data for Austria will be improved, statistical models for data analysis will be developed and, ultimately, the existing data will be analyzed in terms of suitability for the tasks.

The detection, characterization and quantification of regional differences in crime rates leads to the development of models with explanatory variables, which can be grouped into different areas (criminological factors). Criminological factors such as economic situation, characteristics of the population, transport infrastructure or social situation can be derived using theoretical approaches. The evident characteristics of criminological factors, commonly referred to as indicators, are e.g., age, education, income level or rate of unemployment.

The collection of data and knowledge constructed during the project is a treasure chest, for which a variety of possibilities and plans exist toward its expansion and future use, and which should lead to the development of a prototype ACE for use in police leadership.