Shopping Crime at Place: The Case of Tel Aviv-Yafo

We identify all property crimes that occur at shops or malls in Tel Aviv-Yafo between 1990 and 2010. We ask whether the ``law of crime concentration'' applies to shopping crime. Our answer overall, is that studying this specific crime category provides general confirmation of the research that has been carried out on more general crime categories. But we also observed differences that suggest that specific types of crime may lead to different concentrations and patterns. This is reflected in the very high crime concentrations observed, and in the different developmental trends at street segments that appear to follow the construction of malls generally, and in particular ``mega malls'' in the city. Our research accordingly suggests both the consistency of findings in the criminology of place, as well as the importance of recognizing the specific structural factors affecting specific types of crime.