NCJ Number
162977
Date Published
1995
Length
70 pages
Annotation
This report provides guidance for British police forces on the analysis of high-volume crime at the division or subdivision level, with high-volume crime in local areas defined to include burglary, motor vehicle theft, and criminal damage.
Abstract
The term "local crime analysis" (LCA) is used to cover a broad range of different analytical techniques. At division and subdivision levels, police officers are interested in various types of analysis and different outputs from LCA. Therefore, LCA is considered in relation to specific areas of police work: crime prevention, repeat victimization, problem-oriented policing, and proactive policing. The report identifies what types of LCA are relevant to the local analysis of high-volume crime and provides guidance to police forces about practical issues they need to consider before undertaking LCA. This guidance falls into two main areas, data and analytical issues. Types of data that may be used in LCA, possible data sources, and problems associated with data quality are described. Analytical issues are discussed in terms of temporal and spatial analysis. The report emphasizes that police forces must be clear about their aims and objectives in order to successfully conduct LCA. Specific recommendations are offered to ensure LCA is conducted properly by police forces in Great Britain. Appendixes contain a definition of crime analysis, an LCA checklist, and an LCA contact list. 34 references and 1 table