Criminal Behavior Patterns of a Serial Robbery Perpetrator: A Case Study
Keywords:
razbojništvo, obrasci kriminalnog ponašanja, serijski izvršioci, studija slučaja, modus operandi
Abstract
This paper examines a series of 24 robberies committed by a single offender, using data obtained from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, specifically the Police Directorate of the City of Belgrade. Through qualitative analysis of the offender’s criminal history and modus operandi, as well as frequency analysis and temporal-spatial distribution, the study provides a comprehensive insight into patterns of criminal behavior. The findings reveal distinct preferences regarding the time of offense (evening hours between 7 PM and 11 PM) and specific months (February and April), as well as geographical clusters of activity concentrated within certain Belgrade municipalities and streets. The analysis of the modus operandi highlights a consistent use of both planned and opportunistic strategies aimed at minimizing risk and maximizing gain. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of serial criminal behavior patterns, offering both theoretical and practical frameworks for the development of targeted preventive and operational strategies in policing practice.
References
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Piquero, A. R., & Tibbets, S. G. (2002). Rational Choice and Criminal Behavior: Recent Research and Future Challenges. Routledge.
Raine, A., Brennan, P. A., Farrington, D. P., & Mednick, S. A. (1997). Biosocial bases of violence: Contributions from criminology and neuroscience. In A. Raine, P. A. Brennan, D. P. Farrington, & S. A. Mednick (Eds.), Biosocial Bases of Violence (pp. 1–20). Springer.
Rossmo, D. K. (1999). Geographic profiling (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367802011
Sadiković, S., Oljača, M., Branovački, B., Dinić, B., & Baić, V. (2019). Dark Tetrad and life events as predictors of offenders vs. general population. The paper was presented at the Scientific-Professional Conference Contemporary Trends in Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Novi Sad, October, 2019.
Sulejmanović, D. (2024). Gender differences in criminal recidivism. NBP - Journal of Criminalistics and Law, 29(3), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.5937/nabepo29-52561
Sykes, G. M., & Matza, D. (1957). Techniques of neutralization: A theory of delinquency. American Sociological Review, 22(6), 664–670. https://doi.org/10.2307/2089195
Topalli, V. (2005). When being good is bad: An expansion of neutralization theory. Criminology, 43(3), 797-836. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0011-1348.2005.00024.x
Walsh, A., & Ellis, L. (2007). Criminology: An interdisciplinary approach. SAGE Publications.
Agnew, R. (2001). Building on the foundation of general strain theory: Specifying the types of strain most likely to lead to crime and delinquency. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 38(4), 319–361. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427801038004001
Ainsworth, P.B. (2001). Offender profiling and crime analysis. Portland, OR: William Publishing.
Akers, R. L. (2017). Social learning and social structure: A general theory of crime and deviance (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Akers, R. L., & Jennings, W. G. (2017). Social learning theory and the explanation of crime. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315129594
Alison, L. J., Goodwill, A., Almond, L., van den Heuvel, C., & Winter, J. M. (2010). Pragmatic solutions to offender profiling and behavioural investigative advice. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 15(1), 115–132. https://doi.org/10.1348/135532509X463347
Baić, V. & Lajić, O. (2017). Analysis of criminal behaviour of serial perpetrators of the crime of rape. NBP - Journal of Criminalistics and Law, 22(1):33-51 https://doi.org/10.5937/nabepo22-13316
Baglivio, M. T., Wolff, K. T., & Piquero, A. R. (2017). The continuity of serious and violent offending: Examining criminal career dimensions and offender typologies. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 15(2), 133–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204016672974
Bennell, C., Snook, B., MacDonald, S., House, J. C., & Taylor, P. J. (2012). Computerized crime linkage systems: A critical review and research agenda. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(5), 620–634. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854811435210
Bonta, J., & Andrews, D. A. (2007). Risk-Need-Responsivity Model for Offender Assessment and Rehabilitation. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(3), 113-134.
Canter, D., & Youngs, D. (2009). Investigative Psychology: Offender Profiling and the Analysis of Criminal Action. Wiley-Blackwell.
Cornish, D. B., & Clarke, R. V. (1986). The Reasoning Criminal: Rational Choice Perspectives on Offending. Springer.
DeLisi, M., & Piquero, A. R. (2011). New frontiers in criminal careers research, 2000–2011: A state-of-the-art review. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39(4), 289–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2011.05.001
DeLisi M., Vaughn M. G. (2014). Foundation for a temperament-based theory of antisocial behavior and criminal justice system involvement. Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(1), 10–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2013.11.001
Farrington, D. P. (2003). Developmental and life-course criminology: Key theoretical and empirical issues. Criminology, 41(2), 221–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2003.tb00987.x
Felson, M., & Clarke, R. V. (1998). Opportunity Makes the Thief: Practical Theory for Crime Prevention. Police Research Series.
Felson, M., & Boba, R. (2010). Crime and Everyday Life (4th ed.). Sage.
Jones, D. N., & Neria, A. L. (2015). The Dark Triad and dispositional aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 360–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.06.021
Kocsis, R.N. (2006). Criminal profiling: Principles and practice. Totowa, NJ: Human Press.
Krstić, M. S. (2020). Teorija racionalnog izbora – ograničenja i alternative. Sociološki pregled, 54(1), 40–63. https://doi.org/10.5937/socpreg54-22028
Loeber, R., Slot, W., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2008). A cumulative developmental model of risk and promotive factors. In R. Loeber, W. Slot, M. Stouthamer-Loeber, & D. P. Farrington (Eds.), Tomorrow's criminals: The development of child delinquency and effective interventions (pp. 133–161). Routledge.
Maruna, S., & Copes, H. (2005). What have we learned in five decades of neutralization research? Crime and Justice, 32, 221–320. https://doi.org/10.1086/655357
Grigoryeva, M. S., & Matsueda, R. L. (2018). Rational choice, deterrence and crime: Sociological contributions. In G. Bruinsma & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice (pp. 4316–4327). Sage.
Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100(4), 674–701. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.4.674
Moffitt, T. E. (2018). Male antisocial behaviour in adolescence and beyond. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(2), 177-186.
Oljača, M., Sadiković, S., Dinić, B., & Baić, V. (2021). Dark Tetrad and psychological distress among male violent offenders and male community adults. Applied Psychology, 14(4), 509-537. 10.19090/pp.2021.4. 509-537
Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Toward a taxonomy of dark personalities. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(6), 421–426. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414547737
Piquero, A. R., & Tibbets, S. G. (2002). Rational Choice and Criminal Behavior: Recent Research and Future Challenges. Routledge.
Raine, A., Brennan, P. A., Farrington, D. P., & Mednick, S. A. (1997). Biosocial bases of violence: Contributions from criminology and neuroscience. In A. Raine, P. A. Brennan, D. P. Farrington, & S. A. Mednick (Eds.), Biosocial Bases of Violence (pp. 1–20). Springer.
Rossmo, D. K. (1999). Geographic profiling (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367802011
Sadiković, S., Oljača, M., Branovački, B., Dinić, B., & Baić, V. (2019). Dark Tetrad and life events as predictors of offenders vs. general population. The paper was presented at the Scientific-Professional Conference Contemporary Trends in Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Novi Sad, October, 2019.
Sulejmanović, D. (2024). Gender differences in criminal recidivism. NBP - Journal of Criminalistics and Law, 29(3), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.5937/nabepo29-52561
Sykes, G. M., & Matza, D. (1957). Techniques of neutralization: A theory of delinquency. American Sociological Review, 22(6), 664–670. https://doi.org/10.2307/2089195
Topalli, V. (2005). When being good is bad: An expansion of neutralization theory. Criminology, 43(3), 797-836. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0011-1348.2005.00024.x
Walsh, A., & Ellis, L. (2007). Criminology: An interdisciplinary approach. SAGE Publications.
