Interactive maps published to pinpoint crime areas

It has been revealed this week that the Home Office has taken the unprecedented step of deciding to provide people with a monthly snapshot of criminal activity across the country.

These detailed maps will be used to tackle the issues of crime within communities in England and Wales as the data can be drilled down to neighbourhood and street level, highlighting the changing patterns of crime within a particular area.

This relevant data, which includes information on robbery and burglary, could be used by neighbourhood policing teams as well as members of the community to find out about crime in the area and improve their home security.

The maps can show if there is a spate of burglaries in a neighbourhood, for example, and you can then find out exactly what is being done about it by the police.

When considered as a welcome insight into what is going on in any given area, this seems like a positive step by the Home Office.

Nick Herbert, minister for policing and criminal justice, said:

“I think we are putting power in the hands of people by giving them the information but more than that, we are also giving them information about what they can do.

“The police rely on information, they rely on active citizens to be telling them, to be taking part in things like neighbourhood watch.

“We need to build this bridge and get communities and the police working together and we want the police to be responsive to what the local community wants.”