Crime Analysis Notes

Crime Analysis: An Overview

Introduction to Crime Analysis

  • Crime analysis involves examining data patterns to understand and address crime-related issues.

  • The International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) defines it as a profession and process employing quantitative and qualitative techniques to analyze data relevant to police agencies and communities.

  • Crime analysis supports criminal investigations, prosecutions, patrol deployment, crime prevention, problem-solving, and evaluation of police efforts.

  • Although policing has always involved some form of crime analysis, its formalization and integration into police organizations have occurred mainly in the last 25 years.

Core Functions of Crime Analysis

  • Systematic analysis to identify patterns and trends in crime and disorder.

  • Aids law enforcement agencies in effective resource deployment.

  • Involved in creating solutions to crime problems and formulating crime prevention strategies.

Common Misconceptions

  • Crime analysts are often mistaken for CSIs (Crime Scene Investigators). A crime analyst doesn't collect forensic evidence at crime scenes.

  • The role of collecting forensic evidence belongs to scenes of crime officers (in the UK), CSIs (in the US), criminalists, or forensic scientists.

  • Crime analysts are not detectives but work with CSIs and detectives.

  • Analysts may visit hotspot areas to understand crime environments.

Types of Analysis

  • There are various types of crime analysis, including:

    • Strategic analysis

    • Tactical analysis

    • Performance analysis

    • Intelligence analysis

    • Partnership analysis

Data vs. Intelligence

  • Data:

    • Can be qualitative or quantitative (words, numbers, perceptions).

    • Collected systematically.

  • Intelligence:

    • Information that has been graded and systematically checked for reliability.

    • Can come from various sources, including covert human intelligence sources (CHIS).

    • Examples include anonymous tips or observations of criminal associations.

    • Intelligence enriches the understanding of investigations.

Police Data Sources

Analysts use police data as a starting point and incorporate data from other agencies.

  • Typical police data includes:

    • Police stops

    • Use of force data

    • Tickets (enforcement action notices)

    • Arrests

    • Crime databases

    • Missing persons databases

    • Intel databases

    • Body-worn video data

    • Automatic vehicle location (AVL) databases

    • Calls for service (911, 999)

External Data Sources

  • Fire agencies: Data on arson.

  • Hospitals: Data on violence trends (often more comprehensive than police data).

  • Social services: Intelligence on families and vulnerabilities.

  • Education (schools): Data on bullying, truancy, and exclusions to understand factors driving certain behaviors.

  • Local government: Complaints about noise nuisance, derelict buildings, and abandoned buildings.

  • Environment agency: Data related to waste crime.

  • Telecoms: Data on activity patterns of mobile phones.

  • Retailers: Data on theft or violence in shops.

Importance of Diverse Data

Analysts compile data from various sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of criminal activity and its underlying factors.