Crime Data, Essay Example

As a concept, crime analysis programs have to be slightly younger than crime itself. The very first crime required no analysis, as it was not part of a trend or pattern. Consequently, each additional crime has a greater possibility of following the first crime; therefore, it calls for a certain pattern to be followed. Today, crime data software programs are constantly used to help deter and analyze crime. Some of the programs include: WebCat (an analytical tool for Public Safety Agencies), Visualinks (toolkit for pattern discovery, link analysis, data visualization and network-centric analysis), SPACE (a set of unique crime analysis tools useful for analyzing spatial information), and others (Crime Analysis Software, 2005). The main problems that arise while working with such programs is the computer illiteracy of the police agents who are supposed to employ these statistical gadgets, in order to map out criminal activities or enter a crime into a database. The best way to solve this problem is to organize special courses and create special exercises, in which police officers would solve real world problems in law enforcement, utilizing fictional data.

References

Crime Analysis Software. (2005). The International Association of Crime Analysts. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from http://www.iaca.net/Software.asp