Access to security services and crime patterns. Case study: Manizales, Colombia

Accessibility planning allows a better understanding of the operational characteristics of transport networks in relation to economic, socio-demographic, and land-use variables. It has, however, experienced a much slower adoption in the Global South as opposed to industrialized societies, focusing mostly on work opportunities and other basic services. The city of Manizales in Colombia is considering incorporating accessibility models as part of policy design and decision-making processes for the implementation of new services. In this regard, we set out to assess the relationship between locations of police stations, operational characteristics of the transport network, and criminal offences by using territorial accessibility measures. Our research seeks to contribute to the debates on the applicability and usefulness of accessibility measure when applied to specific services in a developing context. The research builds on primary data obtained in a period of over a year with the aid of GPS equipment. These data are contrasted with information on criminal offences attended by local authorities. Our analyses confront accessibility levels on the road network and spatial coverage of police stations with density of reported criminaloffences. These analyses suggest correlations between areas of the city with higher density of criminal offences and constraints of local capacity and accessibility of police facilities. We provide evidence of the role of accessibility in seamlessly unrelated services and produce new information that can strengthen criteria for land management and locations of urban facilities in mid-sized cities