The aim of the present study was to predict offender characteristics on the basis of crime scene behaviour in urban burglaries. The police files of 633 burglaries in the Finnish Metropolitan Area between 1990 and 2001 were content analysed using a predetermined list of variables. The crime scene behaviour variables were subjected to a principal component analysis. Fourteen factors indicative of different types of burglaries were identified and used to predict the characteristics of the 244 offenders using regression models. Statistically significant predictors of almost all offender characteristics were identified. From a practical point of view, the predictive models could be used in police investigations to narrow down the number of suspects.
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