Changing Crime Patterns: A Spatial Study of Minor and Violent Offences in Kazakhstan’s Two Largest Cities

This report presents an analysis of crime patterns in Kazakhstani cities using data from the Committee for Legal Statistics and Special Accounts of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It explores the relationship between crime and the socio-economic characteristics of urban areas, identifies “hotspots” of theft and violent crime in Astana and Almaty, and traces how these hotspots have evolved over the past five years. The findings reveal that crime is most heavily concentrated in city centres, with distinct patterns depending on the type of offence. The report recommends measures to improve police patrol planning and crime prevention, including the adoption of the “precision policing” model to enhance law enforcement effectiveness.

Language: Russian

Keywords: criminology, crime analysis, crime hotspots, socio-economic characteristics, theft and violent crime, preventive measures, precision policing, police patrol planning, social crime patterns