Di Ashby

Geocomputation, Geodemographics and Resource Allocation for Local Policing

The field of geodemographics is one of the most fertile applications areas of geocomputation research. Geodemographic profiles of the characteristics of individuals and small areas are pivotal to tactical and strategic resource management in many areas of business, and are becoming similarly central to efficient and effective deployment of resources by public services. In this context, this paper describes research that has been developed in partnership with the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) at the University of Portsmouth to assess the potential use of geodemographics as a policing tool. Crime, the fear of crime and the efficacy of public services are issues that have moved to the top of the UK political agenda and have long been matters of serious public concern. This paper considers the ways in which police forces might use geodemographics to better deploy resources at a variety of spatial scales in England and Wales.

Geodemographics as a tool for targeting neighbourhoods in public health campaigns

Geodemographics offers the prospects of integrating, modelling and mapping health care needs and other health indicators that are useful for targeting neighbourhoods in public health campaigns. Yet reports about this application domain has to date been sporadic. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of a bespoke geodemographic system for neighbourhood targeting in an inner city public health authority, Southwark Primary Care Trust, London. This system, the London Output Area Classification (LOAC), is compared to six other geodemographic systems from both governmental and commercial sources. The paper proposes two new indicators for assessing the performance of geodemographic systems for neighbourhood targeting based on local hospital demand data. The paper also analyses and discusses the utility of age- and sex standardisation of geodemographic profiles of health care demand.

Classifying Neighbourhoods for Reassurance Policing

High rates of reported crime and levels of fear of crime have emerged as characteristics of late modern societies. Changes in society as a result of globalization and new technologies are said to have contributed to a “risk society” in which crime is one of a number of risks that the public expect will be managed effectively. The perception that the risk of victimization is growing undermines confidence in the effectiveness of the state. The reassurance/perception gap has thus long concerned central government. However, geographical variations in this trend are poorly understood. The analysis of the risk of victimization in different types of neighbourhood shows that the experience of crime varies significantly depending on where people live. Some communities are more crime prone than others and this has important consequences for how the risks of victimization are communicated and for the selection of policing styles that will be most effective. Furthermore, aspects of anti-social behaviour that most concern local residents vary significantly between different types of neighbourhood, as do their differing abilities to respond effectively. This paper demonstrates ways in which geodemographic classification systems are likely to be predictive of the level of social (dis)organization, social capital and collective efficacy. Profiling neighbourhoods, their risk of victimization, local perceptions of crime and the degree of collective efficacy could prove essential to strategies for providing public reassurance and for customizing crime reduction services to better meet local needs.

Police Reform and the New Public Management Paradigm: Matching Technology to the Rhetoric

This paper presents a review and interpretation of the apparent inertia and resistance to change that has characterised the last twenty-five years of UK policing. We argue that attempts to introduce New Public Management to policing have not proved as effective as in other public services. Most of the activities of the police have explicitly spatial consequences yet, we argue, the slow diffusion and adoption of geographic information systems (GIS) and other technical innovations has been a particular issue. The current round of political aspirations to reform policing depend in large part on a rapid increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of police management information systems and their deployment at strategic and tactical levels. Generic opportunities and constraints arising in the field of geographic information science are identified and summarised followed by a critical appreciation of current GIS deployment in policing. Direct practical experience in GIS policing applications is used to outline observed barriers to progress and also forms the basis for a number of strategic recommendations.

Teenage pregnancy-New tools to support local health campaigns

Teenage pregnancy has remained high in many inner city areas despite several years of campaigns to reduce numbers and to support young people and their families tackle the problem. In this paper we propose new methods to focus local strategies on high-risk areas as well as ranking secondary schools and GP practices most likely to be in contact with young people at risk. The proposed methods proved successful in engaging local schools in a new campaign and have provided a framework for evaluation of local teenage pregnancy rates in years to come.

From Crime Analysis to Homeland Security: A Role for Neighborhood Profiling?

This chapter presents a review and interpretation of the use of small area neighborhood profiles (geodemographics) in community policing and, by extension, in homeland security applications. We discuss the merits of a local focus in policing, and the data and analytical frameworks that are necessary to support this activity. Next we use case study examples to illustrate how priorities for neighborhood policing may be developed, and suggest that available public sector data may be used to drive improved bespoke classifications of neighborhoods. It is argued that better measures of local social capital and community cohesion may be used to tailor interventions to local circumstances, and to maintain and enhance community stability. We conclude with an overview of some ethical impediments to development of such approaches in homeland security applications.