Establishing an analytics culture in public safety

The explosion of Big Data provides a vast new resource that analysts believe can transform operational policing. In the world of public safety, Big Data invariably comprises existing data often stored in disparate databases, including a wide range of sources, from arrest records to court documents and mugshots. Much of it is also text-based documents – police reports and field reports, for example.

For many agencies, says Ryan Prox, special constable and analytic services coordinator for the Vancouver Police Department (PD) in Canada, it can be difficult to make sense of this data in a meaningful way that can help solve and even prevent crime.

Combined with the near infinite volumes of new data sources from the web and mobile applications, this challenge is compounded further, he adds.

Speaking to US Government Technology, Mr Prox says that sometimes lost in the Big Data discussion, especially in public safety circles, is the challenge of overcoming organisational cultural challenges in employing analytics as part of day-to-day operations.

He said this point is emphasised by renowned criminologist Jerry Ratcliffe in his article, Integrated Intelligence and Crime Analysis, which suggests that while analytical technology and analysts can be introduced into the organisational structure of police departments, the receptiveness of police departments to assimilate this information may be difficult.

Despite cases of this mindset being prevalent in some police organisations, the Vancouver PD did not encounter the issues reported by Mr Ratcliffe, says Mr Prox.

Mindful of these challenges, the Vancouver PD approached the integration of analytics into its policing model in a way that was sensitive to both police experiential contributions and the adoption of technology. The aim was to enhance existing programmes rather than replace them.

Since deploying an analytics-led approach to policing in 2008 using IBM and Esri technology, Mr Prox says the City of Vancouver has seen property crime rates drop city-wide per 1,000 residents by 24 per cent and violent crime rates decrease by nine per cent from 2007 to 2011.

These results did not happen immediately, he explained: “Herb Brooks, the legendary hockey coach once said that ‘great moments are born from great opportunity’. For the Vancouver PD, that opportunity was the 2010 Winter Olympics, an event with a significant focus on security and public safety.

“This ‘perfect storm’ in terms of necessity and resources helped the department advance and develop the value of an analytics-driven approach to policing.”

Mr Prox added that from the outset, the issue was never the availability of data, but rather the integration of data from disparate sources.

“Without a common data repository, officers lacked a comprehensive view of criminals, robberies, assaults or gang violence across jurisdictions and in different areas of the city,” he explained. “Making connections between seemingly unrelated datasets was difficult. It was also difficult, if not impossible, to mine and analyse data and to identify crime patterns. As such, police couldn’t react and respond to crime trends as quickly as they wanted or get ahead of any emerging problems as soon as they surfaced.”

The Vancouver PD developed and deployed a crime and intelligence analysis system called the Consolidated Records Intelligence Mining Environment (CRIME). Using GIS (geographic information system) mapping plus spatial, temporal and link analyses, this helps the department’s crime analysts make sense of location and event-related data. By tracking and mapping crime events and its movement over time, the department can better identify and understand any underlying patterns and trends common to a crime series, such as open, unmonitored parking structures that are known to a select group of property offenders. By identifying potential crime hotspots, the department can focus its police resources at these locations and direct efforts toward specific offenders, with the aim of preventing crime before it ha