Understanding the Spatial-Temporal Patterns of Motor Vehicle Theft
(MVT) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SA) under Western Environmental
Criminology
Nawaf Alotaibi*, Andy Evans,Alison Heppenstall, Nick Malleson
School of Geography, University of Leeds
Introduction
Exploratory Analysis of MVT
Data
Figure 6. Percentages of MVT incidents per time of day
Percentage of MVTs
Key features in SA that are different from
typical Western contexts:
About 70% of Saudi’s population is under 29 years old
in 2007(1), while approximately 38% of the UK’s
population under 30 years old in 2008(2).
Around 30% of population in Saudi Arabia in 2007
were non-Saudis, but they made up nearly 55% of the
labor force (3).
Time of day
Until July 2013, Thursday and Friday were the official
weekend days, then the system switched to Fridays
and Saturdays.
4. A comparison between MVTs on weekdays and weekends By law, women are not allowed to drive.
Drinking alcohol is illegal and punished by the law.
Methodology
Friday prayer, fasting during for a month every year
during Ramadan are religious practices of Saudi
community.
cars are the main form of transportation inside the city.
Visualisation of MVT Data
To provide insight into the spatial distribution of MVT patterns
The climate is dry and hot.
Figure 7. Comparing
the two periods of
time (6am-9am) and
(9 pm-12amm)
Weekday
Spatial statistical analysis of MVT
Not only this, but also the MVT is different
To describe and measure the distribution of MVT incidents
Differences between environments can have an important effect
on crime statistics.
Figure 8. Comparing
the two periods of
time (6am-9am) and
(9 pm-12am)
Weekend
Spatial Regression Analysis
Figure 1. Percentages of MVT of property crimes in SA, UK and
US
MVT in US in
2006
50
Percentages of MVT
To examine the spatial relationships between MVTs and other factors
40
MVT in England
and Wales in2006
30
Predicting Models
20
MVT in KSA in
2006
10
0
To forecast where crime when it is likely to happen in the future
Are these differences
between weekdays and
weekends statistically
significant?
Yes.
Exploratory Analysis of MVT
Percentages of property crimes
Figure 2. Percentages of properties crimes in Riyadh,1430H-1434H
(≈2008 -2012)
50
Emezzlement
Assault private
property
Assault public
property
Arson
45
40
35
30
Other thefts
25
Robbery
20
Burglary
15
10
5
1. Visualisation of MVT incidents
Figure 3. A density map illustrating MVT incidents in Riyadh (2012-2014)
Conclusion and Future Work
Motor vehicle
theft
Theft from vehicle
Legend
Attempt theft
MVT
Riyadh
0
Value
Pickpocket
A
High : 0.000325421
Low : 0
Theft from
shops
B
Can differences between environments also make spatial
patterns of MVT different?
Significant elements of spatial crime patterns in Riyadh are apparently
absent in the current literature as follows:
1
2
3
Saudi Arabia is very different from Western countries as a result
of differences in a number of regional factors, such as social,
environmental and legal circumstances.
0
5
10
20
Kilometers
2. Spatial cluster analysis of MVT incidents
Figure 4. Average Nearest Neighbour Summary
•  Can largely Western environmental criminology
theories be applied to explain motor vehicle theft in
Saudi Arabia?
This difference also appears in the variations in crime rates,
since MVT accounts for the largest proportion of property crime
in Saudi Arabia, while MVT in UK and US represents a small
proportion of property crime. This has prompted us to ask
whether the factors that contribute to spatial patterns of MVT in
Saudi Arabia are similar to or different from those in Western
countries. Through this project, this phenomenon will be further
examined in greater depth and additionally contextualised within
the theoretical frameworks developed in environmental
criminology theories.
References
1.  Demographic Survey of Saudi Arabia. 2007. Statistical Yearbook. Annual Report. Saudi
Arabia : Central Department of Statistics and Information.
2.  Office for National Statistics National Population Projections 2008-based. Office for
National Statistics in UK.
3.  Labor Force in Saudi Arabia. 2007. Statistical Yearbook. Annual Report. Saudi Arabia:
Central Department of Statistics and Information.
4.  FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 2006. Uniform Crime Reports 2008. Available:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2008 [Accessed 20th March 2015].
5.  NICHOLAS, S., KERSHAW, C. & WALKER, A. 2007. Crime in England and Wales
2006/07, Home Office London.
•  Are the MVT incidents in a neighborhood associated
with specific factors(e.g. demographic and land use) ?
•  Are these factors different from those factors that have
been found in different countries?
3. Temporal analysis
To improve our understanding of the spatial and
temporal of MVT in SA.
To analyse the interaction between the geographical
location of MVT and external factors.
Poster template by ResearchPosters.co.za
Percentage of MVT incidents
Aims
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank the Police Department in Riyadh, the High
Commission for the Development of Riyadh, the General Commission for Survey
and National Information Center for providing the required data to achieve this
project .
Contact Information
Nawaf Alotaibi
PhD Candidate
School of Geography
University of Leeds
University Road
Leeds LS2 9JT UK
Tel: +44 (0 in UK)113 3433300
Fax: +44 (0 in UK)113 3433308
Email: ml08nia@leeds.ac.uk.com