TransCrimeNet: A Transformer-Based Model for Text-Based Crime Prediction in Criminal Networks

Abstract: This paper presents TransCrimeNet, a novel transformer-based model for predicting future crimes in criminal networks from textual data. Criminal network analysis has become vital for law enforcement agencies to prevent crimes. However, existing graph-based methods fail to effectively incorporate crucial textual data like social media posts and interrogation transcripts that provide valuable insights into planned criminal activities. To address this limitation, we develop TransCrimeNet which leverages the representation learning capabilities of transformer models like BERT to extract features from unstructured text data. These text-derived features are fused with graph embeddings of the criminal network for accurate prediction of future crimes. Extensive experiments on real-world criminal network datasets demonstrate that TransCrimeNet outperforms previous state-of-the-art models by 12.7\% in F1 score for crime prediction. The results showcase the benefits of combining textual and graph-based features for actionable insights to disrupt criminal enterprises.