1 February 2011 Last updated at 09:29Street-level crime maps launched online
The maps will record reports of different categories of crime and anti-social behaviour
New online crime maps for England and Wales have been launched, allowing users to see which offences have been reported in their local streets.
Home Secretary Theresa May said the maps would give real facts and make police more accountable.
The public can search for information on crime and anti-social behaviour by entering a street name or postcode.
Some users could not access the website, www.police.uk, but a minister suggested this was due to heavy use.
A spokesman for charity Victim Support said it was important that victims of crime had consented to whether information about their crime was released.
Meanwhile Mrs May said she expected the public reaction to be "positive" and denied the information could increase fear or drive down house prices in some areas.
Visitors to the website, which cost £300,000 to develop, will be able to find out which crimes have taken place on or near their street within the past month and which officers are responsible for their area.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Mark Easton BBC Home EditorSeeing the dots relating to 1,672 incidents a mile from my north London front door was quite sobering”
Information on crime is broken down into six categories - burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, violence, other crime and anti-social behaviour. Sex crimes have been included in the "other" category, along with crimes such as theft and shoplifting, to help prevent victims from being identified.
Local police appeals and details of police community meetings will also be published alongside the maps.
The website provides more detail, down to street-level, than existing online crime maps provided by forces in England and Wales.
Crime trends will also be established as the site develops and could be extended to include details on the outcomes of court cases, or a system for individual victims to track the progress of their case online.
The government said the site was an important part of its "transparency agenda", making the data available in an open format so that communities could use it to "help people engage with the police in a meaningful way".
Mrs May said: "I think people are going to welcome the fact they can really see what's happening with crime in their area, not just on their street but in their neighbourhood.
"I think they will feel a greater connection with the police, with much more information about where they can go to, and who they can work with."
She said the project would help tackle crime "over time".
System 'confusing'On house prices the home secretary said they were not affected by "the existence of a map on a website".
"This is giving people a real tool, real power to see that something is being done about crime in their area. This doesn't make them frightened, it actually makes them feel a part of what is happening.
"This will give them the real facts and figures. This will make the police more accountable. It gives people a real tool to hold the police to account."
Policing Minister Nick Herbert also insisted that the more detailed information would not increase the fear of crime, adding: "We can't sweep crime under the carpet."
Streets with fewer than 12 houses will only be included in a wider geographic area to prevent identification of victims.
Victim Support said victims' privacy should be protected, but that enough information should be given to the public "for them to be able to hold the police and criminal justice system to account".
"Victims and witnesses of crime often tell us that the criminal justice system can be confusing and unwieldy. This recommendation to publish fuller information has the potential to bring greater transparency to the workings of the criminal justice system for victims, witnesses and the public."
BBC News programmes would like to speak to victims of crime about these maps, if you are interested in speaking to us about this please complete the form below remembering to leave your phone number.
Comments
- 111. johnwere
1 Hour AgoTechnical glitches aside this is fantastic forward thinking conservative government at it's best. San Francisco, the heart of innovation and liberal thinking, has done something similar and it's to be applauded that we are doing the same. Information is power and I'd rather the public had free access to it rather than restricting that access to the police.
- 110. simon
1 Hour AgoNot really sure I wanted to know this! I thought my street was nice and quiet and now I found out there were two burglaries in December!
- 58. spangular
2 Hours AgoApparently Brixton is an area without a policing area!!! Well that is a concern within it self. Interesting idea shame the website clearly does not work!!
- 56. Lucitex
2 Hours AgoOne of the newspapers in Copenhagen, Denmark, where I live makes these maps and I always look at them. Our police force has a web page where they post some of the crimes, but the map makes it easier to see and understand.
Our police force has been thorough drastic cuts and all the small local stations were closed. These maps help ordinary citizens to keep up with what is going on.- 44. Alan Hammond
2 Hours AgoI cannot see this doing ANY good apart from letting the residents in THAT particular area know and I expect that THEY already know the situation so WHATS the point
If the Police know then that is all that is wanted the residents cannot do anything ,Anyway from what I have experienced by the time the Police get to the trouble it is all over and gone away
Comments 5 of 8
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
BBC News - Street-level crime maps launched online
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