Mapping method in research of drug crime regional criminological features (Ukraine taken as an example)

Abstract

General national average drug crime rates on which the contemporary criminological theory and practice is based do not adequately reflect regional peculiarities in the field of illicit drug trafficking as they level high quality/quantity parameters in some areas and their lower values in others. Still, consideration of only national totals in organization of crime counteraction leads to incomplete information, neglecting its negative trends in certain areas, thus, causing aberration of the actual drug crime situation and using improper countermeasures. Under such circumstances the state law enforcement agencies do not operate preemptively against the illicit drug trafficking, do not contain in due time outbreaks of drug crime in certain areas- crime donors, and, as a result, the efficiency of steps aimed at drug addiction prevention as well as crime limitation in total becomes substantively deteriorated. Criminological mapping method enables the territorial police divisions to monitor existing criminological situation, inform the public and other law enforcement agencies on trends and locations of drug crime expansion, and reveal the most affected areas to be able to react promptly to crime pattern changes in regions. The application of this method enabled the evident demonstration of the fact that in Ukraine the Eastern and Southern areas were most affected by drug crime, wherein the affection factor in this part is twice higher than general national value.