The Leeds Burglary Simulator

Quantitative analysis of crimes is often completed at an aggregate level, using environmental and crime statistics aggregated over both time and space. However, the drivers of crime are, more often than not, individual, as are the decision-making processes. Agent-based modelling offers a way to link these scales, giving aggregate-level patterns and understanding based on individual-level drivers. Here we present the details of an agent-based model of burglary. The model replicates offender drivers and decision making in a realistic geographical environment, filled with potential victims and guardians. It can simulate both aggregate-level crime patterns and individual-level offender behaviour.