Crime solutions
Review of GIS-based information sharing systems
This report from the Home Office looks at the uses to which partnerships can put Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and how such systems can be most effectively developed and deployed.
Title: Review of GIS-based information sharing systems
Authors: Spencer Chainey, Chloe Smith
Series: Home Office Online Report 02/06
Number of pages: 72
Date published: February 2006
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Information sharing amongst Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) is essential for supporting the following objectives:
to enable the initial and periodic review of crime, disorder and other community safety issues
to help partnerships become evidence-based
to ensure that targets remain valid and that activity is sustained.
The use of GIS-based information sharing systems by CDRPs has been increasing in England and Wales. The first systems began to emerge in 2000 and now there are over 20 systems, operating at either a regional, county or district level.
This study reviewed ten of these systems to consider the merits of GIS information sharing systems and the community safety partnership business service functions that these systems can most effectively support. In particular, the review aimed to:
identify the key lessons learned from the nominated systems, for them to be applied to new systems that are developed or to existing systems that are enhanced or expanded
identify how the systems can be best used to support the information sharing and analysis functions within the context of an overall CDRP business process model
identify common weaknesses of and across the systems that need to be rectified to achieve maximum effectiveness and impact
produce guidelines and recommendations for the achievable, consistent and sustainable development of GIS-based information sharing systems to provide for the needs of all CDRPs nationally.
Not one system offers a single model that others can follow. All have particular strengths, but all also have weaknesses and areas that could be improved upon. The authors identified several key ingredients contribute to the effectiveness of a GIS-based information system:.
An effective partnership business model - the most effective systems are those that operate in a partnership business environment that:
is information and evidence-driven
is focused on solving problems,
coordinates multi-agency intelligence into the tasking of partnership resources.
Partnership business models that are aligned to the Police National Intelligence Model can be particularly effective, especially in terms of generating community safety multi-agency intelligence products that are complementary (in content and timing) to NIM Intelligence Products.
A combination of desktop and networked technology - a combination of local analytical workstations with networked solutions (e.g. Local Area Network, web-based technology) proved to be a particularly effective technology approach for systems. The approach can offer a platform on which an information hub can be hosted, can provide facilities that allow users to access data and disseminate information, and delivers a toolkit that can fully support problem-solving analyses.
Data held on the information hub are relevant, of good quality and current - factors that are important regarding data held on the system's information hub are that they are consistent in content, are available at a high geographic resolution (e.g. at least to postcode), and are frequently updated to ensure relevant currency.
Effective resourcing of information sharing processes - systems that appropriately resource their information sharing processes are those where the sourcing, cleaning, geocoding, validation and management of data delivers information that is relevant, timely, of good quality and easy to interpret.
Valuing analysis and generating good quality multi-agency intelligence products. Successful systems value the role of analysis and apply an appropriate level of analytical resource within their system. If the analysis facility is not properly resourced, the IT solution can easily become redundant and offer little. For a system to be effective it must be used for the generation of good quality multi-agency analytical products that are explanatory rather than just descriptive.
Mainstreamed system funding – systems that have mainstreamed their funding from local CDRP and other sources, rather than relying on Home Office and other central funds, are those that have clearer and more stable development plans. Uncertainty over funding for those that are not mainstreamed creates uncertainty over the future of the system and stifles any plans for their development.
The systems that are effective have now become an embedded part of community safety partnership working where they operate. In some cases the system is seen as the framework or culture in which the partnership is driven into activity. Little documented evidence has been collected by the systems that demonstrate the impact they are having in reducing crime and disorder, and the misuse of drugs. All point to how they are contributing to more effective partnership working, but all systems must be more encouraged to record how they are contributing to improving community safety. Examples that were captured that show some impact include the following.
COSMOS in Birmingham provided the analytical, problem profile and performance review input to ensure that a city-wide Local PSA burglary reduction initiative met its 25% reduction target. Additionally, senior police officers in Birmingham think that the city's recent 25% reduction in all crime is in part due to the support services that COSMOS provides.
The use of the GMAC system in Oldham has proved to be powerful in supporting Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) solutions for crime and neighbourhood renewal. GMAC activity was fundamental in securing £500,000 per annum from the LSP to fund the development of problem solving 'Neighbourhood Solutions'. A GMAC-generated analysis product has also been fundamental in helping to achieve a 75% reduction in arson in some areas of the conurbation.
Analysis of a distraction burglary pattern by one of the JUPITER sites revealed that approximately 90% of victims were householders over the age of 70 years. The analysis proved useful in engaging with the local councils' housing departments to target an awareness-raising campaign, plus advice and guidance to this vulnerable group.
South Wales Police have seen recorded crime fall by 12% between March 2003 and February 2005. South Wales Police claim that this is due in part to the timely and informative crime and partnership data focus that the Project Dragon toolkits provide to front line police officers.
The authors found that GIS based systems are most effective at supporting the following business functions.
Performance review – this systems can support a continual auditing process, monitor performance against targets, aid the strategic review of the impact of targeted reduction initiatives and interventions, support the operational briefing of CDRP practitioners and partner agencies, and support information-driven agendas at partnership meetings.
Scanning – this role can identify community safety problems, begin to understand the nature and scale of the problem and hypothesise over its cause. This scanning role also includes identifying and allowing easy access to data that are fit for purpose to enable a detailed problem analysis.
Analysis – the analysis mechanism should explain crime and community safety problems and help direct their resolution.
Interfacing with the public – the system can offer a mechanism for supporting the reassurance agenda (particularly from a multi-agency direction) and can better enable the public to contribute to solving issues of community safety.
Following these business service functions will help enhance existing systems, provide direction to new systems, help introduce consistency which will better enable systems to interact, and provide for a more effective application of these systems nationally for improving community safety.
Last update: 1 March 2006