Benefits hot spot analysis

Hotspot analysis is often questioned as being a process that reveals what partners may already know. In most situations, particularly across a partnership made up from a number of different agencies, the hotspots of crime and disorder may be knowledge of a few, but not general knowledge to a class of many. Knowledge of where crime and disorder is concentrated may also be anecdotal, based on historical information, insensitive to changing and newly emerging crime and disorder patterns, and in some cases unreliable. Reliability refers to the under-reporting of certain types of crime and disorder information, and where the actual distribution and concentrations of crime and disorder is inaccurately perceived (see example below).

Performing hotspot analysis has a number of benefits.

• Provides statistical support, validating why resources are targeted to particular areas

• Presents a picture that prompts discussion, better enabling all partners to contribute, rather than following the view of one single partner. This includes questioning the robustness of the information that is presented, and exploring ways in which complementary data from the partnership can be added to help better inform local decision-making processes

• Provides a base to monitor and measure targeted actions

• Helps to raise the profile of improving the quality of information that can be used to help identify the problem, diagnose the problem, perform better resource allocation, consult more effectively with the partner groups and the local community, and establish what initiatives work.

(for more information on the need for ‘better information’ see Tackling focus areas)

Click here for an example of a study carried out in Nottinghamshire Constabulary to look at actual crime hotspots versus perceived crime hotspots (University of Nottingham, 1999).