Predictive Policing: Using Predictive Analytics to Control Crime

With exponential increase in data, variables and thus, the uncertainties, there is an upsurge in using predictive analytics to unravel the patterns inside big data and forecast future. Predictive Analytics is a progressed division of analytics used to forecast unknown future events. It enables information mining that extracts valuable insights from historical data and uses it to anticipate patterns and conduct designs. Now-a-days, predictive and analytical techniques are also finding their applications in the area of law enforcement. At present, many law enforcement agencies are using advanced analytics to model historical crime data to identify, predict and prevent potential criminal activities.

Predictive Analytics in Crime: Why?

Predictive Crime Analytics can help authorities reduce crime rate by identifying and analyzing the crime patterns. It plays a key role in formulating solutions for crime problems by predicting the events in advance. The main focus is to PREVENT crime and not to develop means to fight crime. USA is the first country to successfully deploy predictive analytics to fight crime. After successful stints in USA many other countries are implementing it with their local law enforcement agencies as it is a cost-effective and significantly successful method for controlling crime.

(Source: http://info.aiim.org)

Crime can be predicted: How?

It has been assessed that out of every 100 individuals, 23 individuals are affected by criminal activities which are reported to agencies while approximately 40% percent of total crimes are not even reported. The occurrence of these crimes can be reduced by implementing effective predictive crime analytics or predictive policing. There are some providers in the market which provide crime analytics software for enforcement agencies to tackle crime even before it has happened:

CommandCentral Predictive Tool

CommandCentral is a real time crime analytics predictive tool which has an intuitive dashboard. It allows authorities to convert crime data into intelligence and then understand strategic priorities to break the information warehouses. It predicts and prevents crime, as follows:

• Stop crime before it happens: Daily forecasts made by CommandCentral incorporates the type of crime, time frame and location .This is then paired with other information which includes historical crime information. It makes precise, targeted and actionable crime predictions.
• Removes the analyst/officer gap: CommandCentral tool produces condensed, detailed and easy-to-understand reports for officers and analysts which makes actionable crime predictions more detailed, removing any ambiguity. CommandCentral reporting includes:
  • Two reporting views
  • Email reports
  • Mobile accessible Reports
• Systematically allocates the resources: It helps to manage shifts and patrol in order to effectively use resources and target high-risk areas and time of crime.

CommandCentral Predictive employs a number of proprietary algorithms which blends with RMS (Risk Management Solution) data for crime forecasts regularly.

Another Predictive Crime Analytics Tool: PredPol

‘PredPol’ is another cloud based software tool based on predictive analytics for predicting crime. It has dramatically helped law enforcement stations to prevent crime. In US, it has been estimated that from past one year, Atlanta and Los Angeles have been able to reduce crime rate from 40% to 20%. The law enforcement stations using PredPol have experienced a day without crime, 13 January 2014. PredPol uses advanced mathematical algorithms that analyzes the information to distinguish the zones with high probabilities of specific type of crime like violent activities, property crime, and gang activities. After analysis it places little red boxes on city map that are streamed to patrol cars. The 3 data elements used to predict crime are:

• Type of crime
• Place of crime
• Time of crime

PredPol then utilizes pre-programmed cameras for surveillance which when encounters an unusual activity, immediately sends alerts to cops via call or sms.

(Source: http://wabe.org)

Technology Features:

• Reliable and securely accessible: PredPol runs on a secure SaaS (Software as a Service) platform.
• Flexible and intuitive usability: It can be accessed from any device such as mobile phones and tablets or on paper. It is quite easy to setup this tool and provide the results in just one click of a mouse.

Predictive Crime Analytics is gaining popularity because it saves precious lives for many by predicting crime and taking corrective action before the wrong has been done. It is only a matter of time that all legal enforcement departments will be using such tools to prevent crime and make the world a safer place.

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