Beyond Street Smarts: Data Driven Crime Fighting

Imagine that you had access to the same crime-related information as that managed by police departments. How would you analyze this information, and what actions would you take as a result.

The first aspect of the crime-related information that I would like to focus on here is the use of digital mapping of different areas in relation to crime rates. This information can be utilized to focus on what social activities can be cultivate in these areas to help decrease crime rates and move towards a just society. This information can also help in allocating of resources to areas with high to low crime rates to prevent future crimes.

The patterns in which crimes happen can also be tracked with the help of the information available in the police department. Learning about these patterns can help in understanding crimes as they happen and looking for plausible clues in these crime scenes. Other agencies can also be involved who can learn from the police department experience and share their own experiences. This information can also be used to spread awareness about crimes and educate people in the prevention strategies.