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This section of the toolkit explains what Crime Pattern Analysis
is, and how to obtain the necessary data that you will need
to undertake the analysis. At
the end of this stage you will have a database containing crime
and
incident
data in an extendable format and maps of your building and site
showing the locations where crimes and incidents have occurred.
Introduction to Crime Pattern Analysis
The aim of CPA is to gain a clear understanding of the crimes
and incidents that occur based on evidence rather than assumptions.
This is through the gathering and analysis of information on:
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What crimes are taking place and how often?
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Where are the crimes taking place?
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How are the crimes being committed?
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When (time of day, day of the week, time of year)?
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Who are the offenders?
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What vehicles / properties / victims are involved?
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How are the goods being disposed of?
There are three main types of analysis that should
be carried out for a crime audit :
"attempts
to form a picture of the nature and scale of crime in a particular
area. The size of the area, or the type and number of crimes examined,
may vary. Descriptive, or inferential statistics are used for analysis,
which may be supplemented by qualitative material".
"attempts to identify
typical characteristics of perpetrators of certain crimes. . .
. General profile analyses may focus not only on the offender,
but also on the likely victim of crime".
"aims to
learn from the experience gained with techniques and tactics used
[previously] . . . In other words, it involves the evaluation of
methods and techniques introduced with the aim of establishing
their future usefulness". top of page
Collecting your data
Ideally the data you would gather would be from across a two to
three year period, or more if possible. The more information you
have the better your analysis will be.
You should also think about what changes have been made to
the building in recent years both to the physical site and
also your building
use policy. These
may account for changes in crime data and should be considered
relative to the situation.
The main sources of crime data will be:
A key set of data for the crime pattern analysis is the crime
and incident data that has been recorded by the police. It is suggested
that to obtain this information, you contact your local Architectural
Liaison Officer (ALO).
The Architectural Liaison Officers are specialist officers within
UK police forces and are also known as Crime Prevention Design
Advisors (CPDA). They deal with crime risk and designing out crime
advice for the built environment. In addition to physical security
measures the ALO will consider defensible space, access, crime
and movement generators all of which can contribute to a reduction
in crime and disorder. ALOs are also the source of advice for the
Secured by Design scheme.
Find your nearest Crime Prevention Design Advisor
Find Crime Statistics for your local area
In addition to the police crime and incident records, it
is likely that some incidents or crimes will have been recorded
in health
and safety records or in maintenance records about which the police
were not informed. Examples of this are in a busy A&E department
where a staff member was pushed by a patient and cut their hand
as a result and where the incident was entered into the health
and safety records: or in a secondary school where a pupil broke
a window which was recorded in the maintenance log. In these cases
the records should be classified according to the crime definitions
outlined on the Home
Office Crime Statistics web page, to identify the type and
severity of the crime or incident. This will enable a full set
of incidents
to be recorded in a standard manner to enable a full crime
pattern
analysis
to be undertaken.
Another source of information
regarding unreported crimes is through consultation with other
staff members who may have experience or
knowledge of occurrences. For example, the school caretaker is
likely to have knowledge of where windows were broken
or damage from graffiti was located. Two
key
benefits will emerge form consulting other staff members:
Those involved in the incidents may be able to pinpoint
them to an accurate location if this was not clearly recorded in
the crime / incident report. Other crimes / incidents may have occurred outside of the formal
records. By tapping into the users knowledge, it may be possible
to get a more comprehensive picture of the crimes and incidents
that have occurred.
Organise your data according to the Home Office Crime Type
definitions. Here is a brief summary:
Suggestions for obtaining unreported crime data:
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Ask your co-workers for advice.
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Contact a range of staff. Cleaning staff will see different
areas from clinical staff. Gathering a range of opinion
and knowledge will help ensure a comprehensive and balanced
evaluation.
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Garbage in – garbage out. Ensure that your date
is accurate and comprehensive otherwise the results will
be skewed or inaccurate.
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Take care not to 'double count' crimes, as this will
skew the data.
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Creating a database
What is a Crime Type database?
This will store all the information you have gathered
from your three sources, and collate the information into a single
database so it is easy to read and ready for further interpretation.
Depending on the number of crimes and incidents that
you face, this could be a simple spreadsheet or a more advanced
database system. You should ensure that each record has a unique
reference number as well as a full description of the crime
that occurred including the time and location in which it took
place.
What type of information should a Crime Type database contain?
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Click on the thumbnail to the left to see an example of
a Crime database summary for Case Study C
The database stores information on:
It will be easier if in future all crimes occurring are recorded
on a single database. |
Information on Crime Type definitions can be found at the Home
Office Crime Statistics website
How to compile your information in a database
Further information on how to compile your database will be added
here shortly.
top of page Mapping Crime on your site
Explanation of crime mapping
Once you have obtained all of the information
and collated it into a database, the next stage is to map all the
crimes and incidents that have occurred. There are three main ways
of doing this: the simplest is to map the incidents on paper, alternatively
use a graphics software application and the most advanced would
be to use a Geographic Information System (GIS). The advantages
and disadvantages of each are outlined below. Only you can decide
the most appropriate method and this will be influenced by factors
such as time, cost, size of site and how much help can be obtained
from colleagues.
The methods for mapping crime on your site are:
This will be the cheapest and easiest method for most people to
undertake. There is no software or specialist training involved,
and is hence particularly suited to sites where there are small
numbers of crimes or incidents.
However, on sites where there are
frequent and diverse crimes, mapping manually becomes less easy
as the data is difficult to
control over an extended period of time. The paper maps and databases
are difficult to update so they remain clear and legible. The
data you have collected is also difficult to link to other information
on the site.
Using graphics software will make it easier to control the visual
products of your crime mapping, as you will be able to view and
control each type of information as a different layer or element.
This means that if a certain type of information becomes out of
date it can be easily eliminated from the map. It will also be
easier to store backup copies which can be printed out at any time.
Graphics packages can be expensive to purchase and there will
be a learning curve in getting to know the software. However, graphics
software is usually more user-friendly than GIS software.
This is the most complex (and also most difficult
to learn) method of mapping crime. It will allow you to store,
link and view data
both in database and in spatial formats. GIS systems have advanced
visualisation features as well as many of the advantages of using
graphics software outlined above. Importantly, GIS software allows
you to link data sets with each other, so crime patterns may
be distinguished.
GIS software is, however, often very expensive
in terms of both money and time. Most likely, only large institutions
with severe
crime problems will adopt this option.
Although the methods used for mapping the crimes will vary dependent
on the method chosen there are some key principles that are the
same for all three methods. As the most accessible method for mapping
crimes is on paper this is the method that has been discussed below.
Method for manual mapping
Download suggested legends
Left-click
on the thumbnails to see an enlargement of the image, or right-click
and choose 'save target as' to save the picture to your computer.
To create a map of crimes and incidents that have occurred on
or adjacent to your site you need to :
- Obtain a map of your building and area
- Using the Crime Type database,
identify the locations of each of your incidents , for instance
criminal damage, and mark these
with the number 1 in a circle and colour in blue with a coloured
pencil.
- Repeat 2, with different colours, for each of the crime
categories and for the other incidents that you may encounter.
- Identify
on the map the locations where litter is found
- Mark on a map any locations of graffiti
- Identify in text any further issues relating to
the crimes and incidents that will be useful in the evaluation
(such
as where
there is fear of crime etc.)
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An example of a crime map for Case Study B, a secondary school,
is shown here which contains information on the crimes and
incidents
that have occurred as well as where the site survey uncovered
additional crimes and incidents including property damage,
graffiti and litter.
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Click here for more information on Case Study B
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Checklist
Have you:
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Contacted your local Architectural Liaison Officer?
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Obtained police records?
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Identified any crimes and incidents recorded in the
health and safety or maintenance records?
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Liaised with key personnel in your organisation for
clarification on crime and incident information?
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Created maps identifying the crimes and incidents
both inside and outside of your premises?
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Click
here to view a pdf document containing all the checklists from
this toolkit (310kB)
Click here for a text-only version of the checklist
Achievements from this step
By the end of this stage you should have compiled a database of
all the crimes that have occurred on your site in the last two
to three years, and mapped them onto a plan of your site. This
data will not only include crimes reported to the police but also
other incidents of anti-social behaviour such as littering. This
data is essential to develop a complete understanding of the problems
your site faces.
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