Generating crime data using agent-based simulation

• We propose an agent-based model to simulate crime in public places.
• The proposed model has been applied to Santiago (Chile) and Vancouver (Canada) and provided reliable results.
• The proposed model can be used to test patrolling strategies as well as predictive crime models.

Policing plays an important role in combating street crime. Though policing actions have a dissuasive impact on criminal behavior, they can also have unpredictable and even undesirable effects such as displacement of crime hot-spots. This paper presents an agent-based simulation model that generates artificial street-crime data which can be used to test different policing strategies in a virtual environment. The model can thus evaluate the strategies’ effectiveness and collateral effects before putting them into practice and provide support for the policing decision-making process. Based on this model, a crime simulator was implemented in Repast Simphony and a series of test simulations on fictitious and real cities were carried out. The proposed formulation was successfully validated, confirming its potential as a powerful tool for the study of street crime.