Perfis territoriais de criminalidade em Portugal (2009-2019)

In the last decade, crime rates in Portugal decreased by 21%. However, the economic crisis and the increase of socio-territorial disparities have given rise to particular criminal practices and have emphasized the importance of their territorial distribution. While European agendas have been promoting the reduction of territorial inequalities through a greater spatialization of public policies, the geographical dimension of criminality has gained relevance in research. In this sense, literature points towards the need to conceive multivariate and multiscale territorial-based analysis that support public policies. This paper contributes to overcome the lack of reflection on the territorial dimension, by exploring the spatial disparities associated with crime rates in Portugal over the last decade. A multivariate analysis is performed to build integrated profiles that display and characterize vulnerable territories in terms of criminality, thus informing territorial planning of the need for articulated and integrated responses.