St. John Police Force Use Crime Mapping To Inform Citizens

The St. John Police Force is the first Canadian city to use CrimeMapping.com, a website designed to visualize criminal activity in communities.  Breaking crime statistics down by date, crime type, address and agency allows police departments to keep their communities up to date as to when and where criminal activity is occurring.  The idea is that by knowing what crimes are taking place, a community may be more on the lookout for suspicious behaviour.

Bruce Connell, Deputy Chief of the St. John Police Force said in an interview with the Telegraph-Journal, "In this day and age it's about technology, and we're just making it that much easier for our citizens to be engaged in their community."

Incorporating a proximity alert system, where citizens are notified or crimes within a certain radius of where they live, allows the community to be more informed as to nearby criminal activity.  There is also the ability to send anonymous tips to the police force.

Deputy Chief Connell believes, "It could be the pivotal piece of information that helps us make an arrest."

Michael Boudreau, a member of the Department of Criminology at St. Thomas University in Fredricton has a few warnings about such systems.  He believes that St. John should be cautious, as use of mapping services such as these can lead to fewer police on the streets and criminal profiling.

The CrimeMapping.com subscription, provided by The Omega Group, costs the St. John Police Force only $100/month.