The use of digital mapping systems to combine sets of local social and crime data has strong potential for tackling crime hotspots, delegates heard at Headstar’s recent conference: Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in the Public Sector (
http://www.headstar-events.com/GIS09/ ).
Data sets can be plotted on a map and linked to establish a visual connection between different types of crime, Emily Humphries, a community safety partnership analyst for Worcestershire County Council, told the conference.
Visual ‘point data’ or ‘hotspots’ for different crimes can be linked, revealing connections of potential value in tackling problems, Humphries said. For example, recorded incidences of anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and deliberate fires can be shown on the same map: “Instead of tackling just one problem, we can tackle all three together. You may not pick up on all these issues when just looking at data on a spreadsheet”, she said.
Areas shown to be crime combination hotspots can then be targeted by partnerships between councils and relevant community safety groups, Humphries said. However, combined maps need to be interpreted with caution, she said, as there are may be built-in inaccuracies linked to the issues, such as possible discrepancies between areas where an incident has taken place and where it is reported. “A lot of anti-social behaviour incidents, for example, are assigned to buildings, but actually take place outside, which can produce problems,” she said.
