http://heatherbrooke.org/2008/article-crime-data-what-we-cant-know/ Heather Brooke is an award-winning writer, journalist and activist Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:44:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://heatherbrooke.org/2008/article-crime-data-what-we-cant-know/comment-page-1/#comment-1671 Peter Devine Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:24:48 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/?p=553#comment-1671 For too long the police in the UK have been able to hide behind the politically spun phrase namely: "reducing the fear of crime". That is why up and down the news rooms of this land the police have been able to tell journalists on a need to know basis. This normally amounts to, if they need help, then an appeal can be put out. Until there is an imperative that police bosses have to tell the press of all crime that is happening in a particular neighbourhood or district the picture will never emerge as to how good or how bad it is. The police are a publicly accountable body which is virtually able to do as it pleases and politicians are terrified if a body such as the Police Federation gets off its backside to call for more police on the beat. Editors up and down the land should refuse to put out police appeals until such time as we get the FULL wholehearted cooperation of the police service. For too long the police in the UK have been able to hide behind the politically spun phrase namely: “reducing the fear of crime”. That is why up and down the news rooms of this land the police have been able to tell journalists on a need to know basis. This normally amounts to, if they need help, then an appeal can be put out. Until there is an imperative that police bosses have to tell the press of all crime that is happening in a particular neighbourhood or district the picture will never emerge as to how good or how bad it is. The police are a publicly accountable body which is virtually able to do as it pleases and politicians are terrified if a body such as the Police Federation gets off its backside to call for more police on the beat. Editors up and down the land should refuse to put out police appeals until such time as we get the FULL wholehearted cooperation of the police service.

]]> http://heatherbrooke.org/2008/article-crime-data-what-we-cant-know/comment-page-1/#comment-1670 John Page Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:35:52 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/?p=553#comment-1670 We're not in the Met area, but we do have a nice community discussion board already, where our neighbourhood officer posts from time to time. Maybe Herts would like to pilot with us? :) We’re not in the Met area, but we do have a nice community discussion board already, where our neighbourhood officer posts from time to time. Maybe Herts would like to pilot with us?

]]> http://heatherbrooke.org/2008/article-crime-data-what-we-cant-know/comment-page-1/#comment-1669 John Webb Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:07:18 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/?p=553#comment-1669 I just watched West Midlands Police, on BBC news - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00cl60f, using/showing off some groovy looking software for mapping crime. There was a screenshot headed ‘Daytime Analysis’ and their pr guy seemed pretty chuffed with all the system’s bells and whistles - 'seems it identifies crime by street, time, type of incident, hotspots and trends etc. He said the Brummie Boys in Blue “to have the right officer at the right place at the right time.” So, it struck me that, if They know where they go, when and why then shurrrly they have the sort of, really useful, stats available that the Met don’t (can’t, won’t) have. Maybe a more learned person, more learned than I is anyway, should have a looksee and if the Brummies have cracked it maybe they could be persuaded to email the software sales rep phone number to the Met. I just watched West Midlands Police, on BBC news – http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00cl60f, using/showing off some groovy looking software for mapping crime. There was a screenshot headed ‘Daytime Analysis’ and their pr guy seemed pretty chuffed with all the system’s bells and whistles – ‘seems it identifies crime by street, time, type of incident, hotspots and trends etc. He said the Brummie Boys in Blue “to have the right officer at the right place at the right time.” So, it struck me that, if They know where they go, when and why then shurrrly they have the sort of, really useful, stats available that the Met don’t (can’t, won’t) have. Maybe a more learned person, more learned than I is anyway, should have a looksee and if the Brummies have cracked it maybe they could be persuaded to email the software sales rep phone number to the Met.

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