Big Data & Analytics In Law Enforcement: Predictive Policing

Predictive policing and Big data analysis

Before we get into how the use of big data and analytics is giving rise to predictive policing, let us first define what big data and analytics are. There are many definitions of big data and analytics available but, for the purpose of this discussion, we will define big data and analytics as the collation, organization and analysis of large volumes of structured and unstructured data.

With the increasing availability of machine learning, artificial intelligence and natural language processing tools, end to end intelligence solutions like Sintelix is making it quick and easy to analyze big data and gain actionable intelligence from that data.

In addition to the advancements in software, we have also seen significant improvements in the technologies available to gather data.   In the past, something like a camera pen would be considered advanced technology, but now there are a whole range of advanced technologies available to surveillance, law enforcement, intelligence and policing professionals.

See some examples below on how advancements in intelligence software and hardware are creating new possibilities for solving crimes, preventing crime and predictive policing.

Predicting and monitoring crime locations:

With access to large amounts of data from police databases, social and web data, tools like Sintelix can deliver the intelligence required to predict locations where future crimes are likely to be planned and take place.  Police can then use the latest hidden cameras and technologies like video glasses to monitor those locations.

Using big data and analytics tools like Sintelix to identify locations where crime has occurred in the past has proven to be a successful strategy for reducing crime. In a study by the Los Angeles Police Department in the year 2012 showed that after starting to use the big data and analytics to predict where the crimes would take place, the property crimes reduced by 12%.

Criminal Identification:

Let’s imagine you have witnessed a robbery at your neighbor’s property and you report it to the police. The police examine the house and find the robber has left fingerprints on door handles.  The home owner also has some CCTV footage of the person at the front door.  Their face is covered, but you can see they have a dragon tattoo on their right shoulder.

The time taken to solve the crime is greatly reduced with the latest big data and analytics technologies.  Police departments can quickly and easily gather evidence and match that evidence to a list of suspects.  They become far more productive and can achieve a lot more with the same level of resources, making use of intelligence tools like Sintelix.

Closing the case:

There are times when the suspect in any criminal case is unknown or is the person we least expect. Even with the latest tools to collect the evidence, without advanced technologies and analytics tools, this evidence would be difficult to utilize.  In our example above, the CCTV footage may help you narrow your number of suspects, but not necessarily close the case.   With big data and analytics tools like Sintelix, police could search their databases fused with social media and web data to identify local suspects with dragon tattoos and narrow the possibilities.  Police can also harvest intelligence from social media which might exclude some suspects by placing them at other locations at the same time or produce additional evidence to convict the suspected thief.