‘Beatcrime’ puts up-to-date crime information on the map

There is a significant and growing appetite among the public for information, particularly about the services for which they have paid and on which they depend.

Government and police have responded in a number of ways, one obvious example being the requirement for police authorities to produce and distribute ‘local policing summaries’ introduced in by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 .

At the same time, West Yorkshire Police Authority was keen to do more in order to make a meaningful connection with the public and trigger constructive engagement.

Beyond the traditional response of publishing reports and newsletters, the Authority sought a communication that was dynamic, accessible and locally relevant.

The result was Beatcrime. With its title reflecting both the objective of tackling crime and the illustration of recorded offences by local area, the initiative took the form of a website – www.beatcrime.info – which was the first site to present the British public with local, up-to-date crime information on a map.

By entering a West Yorkshire postcode and selecting a crime type, people were able to use the site to view the crime picture on their local beat, either as dots marking the approximate location of crimes reported in the previous month (often on maps going down to street level) or as bar charts, comparing crime levels for each month with those for the previous year.

Since then the site has become established in the range of tools available both to the public and the Police Authority to hold the police to account. The site also raises the profile of the Police Authority and helps the public to associate it with the monitoring of police performance and crime and disorder reduction.

How has it been received? Most visitors to the site are reassured by what they see – which is not surprising given that perception of crime can generally be much higher than the reality.

For those who are sufficiently interested, or concerned, they can go further, following links to such things as crime prevention advice, ways of contacting the Authority and the neighbourhood policing teams.

The force itself has also taken to the scheme enthusiastically, and is now working with the Police Authority to develop it further, exploring the obvious potential it has as a wider source of communication, reassurance and public confidence.

Visited by tens of thousands, the Beatcrime site has generated positive feedback from a range of users.

Police Authority Chairman Cllr Mark Burns-Williamson who launched the website in February 2005, said: “When it comes to crime and criminality the people of West Yorkshire are entitled to know what’s really going on in their area.

“Beatcrime gives them the information in a straightforward and meaningful way.”

The Authority acknowledges that there were some early risks identified with putting this information out into the public domain but they have proved to be minimal.

Initial concerns that the information might be abused, that it might breach data protection legislation or that it might trigger letters of complaint, have so far been uncorroborated.

On the other hand, the site offers a quick and efficient means of dealing with many requests for crime information in a way that is cheap and easy to maintain.

Fraser Sampson, the Police Authority’s new chief executive, said: “From the Police Authority’s point of view, two longer term challenges remain. The first is spreading knowledge about the site among those with a genuine interest in what it has to offer; the second is to develop the site, both in terms of content and geography.

“With clear opportunities to extend the site to include more detailed information, from the very local neighbourhood level to a wider regional illustration of relevant activity, the Beatcrime initiative has much more to offer.”