Crime and population size are mathematically linked, says study

BBC : The more crowded an urban area, the higher the murder rate, say a group of researchers led by Haroldo Ribeiro of the State University of Maringa in Brazil. In their study published in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers focused on a number of Brazilian cities known for their gang and drug violence. They found that not only do certain factors such as homicide, unemployment, and illiteracy increase with population size but they do so as mathematically predictable power laws. However, criminologists counter that the relationship between crime and other sociological factors is extremely complicated and that math equations cannot take into account the emotions and other variables involved. Ribeiro maintains that “unveiling relationships between crime and urban metrics can help to guide public policies towards more effective investments, and, consequently, to help prevent crime.”