We're always on the lookout for current, relevant and reliable sources of information and tools to help us all do our jobs.
If you have a resource that you find useful, and feel others may benefit from it, email JonathanS@acia.org.uk, and we'll get it included.
Analytical Techniques
Aoristic Analysis
Jerry Ratcliffe's explanation of the principles of aoristic analysis and the ways in which it can be applied including animated mapping. Three articles
Analytical Techniques from The College of Policing
Evaluating information using the CRAAP test, from California State University, Chico. A more user-interactive version can be found at the University of Gonzaga, Spokane.
Analytical Tools
Crimestat 3 (opens new webpage)
CrimeStat 3 is a spatial statistics program for the analysis of crime incident locations, developed by Ned Levine & Associates under the direction of Ned Levine, PhD, that was funded by grants from the National Institute of Justice. The program is Windows-based and interfaces with most desktop GIS programs. The purpose is to provide supplemental statistical tools to aid law enforcement agencies and criminal justice researchers in their crime mapping efforts. CrimeStat is being used by many police departments around the country as well as by criminal justice and other researchers.
The tool enables a variety of techniques including, hotspot analysis; journey to crime and regression modeling. A full software manual is available on the same website.
Crime Dispersion Index
This program will calculate Offense Dispersion Index and associated values for specific crime data in a fixed format. Using dispersion analysis, a technique that measures the relative dispersion of a crime increase across a region allows for the identification of particular spatial units that are sufficiently influential to drive up the overall jurisdictional crime rate.
A combination of the order of areal units from a dispersion analysis with a measure of the local level of spatial association is used to develop a tool that can identify clustered areas of emerging crime problems. The identification of these second-order spatial processes may be beneficial to police departments and crime prevention practitioners who are interested in the identification of statistically significant clusters of emerging crime hotspots.
Mapping & Mind-Mapping Tools
A Framework for the Spatio-Temporal Targeting of Crime ReductionJerry H. Ratcliffe
Mindtools
Toolkits and guides on how to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills - .e.g. Mind maps, future wheels, fish bone charts etc.
Managing Analysts
Enhancing the Problem Solving Capacity of Crime Analysis Units
This guide is organised around nine fundamental concerns, framed here as questions, which must be addressed when developing a problem-solving capacity within a crime analysis unit.
Presenting Analysis
Advice, templates and other resources for presentations, PowerPoint slides and public speaking.
A website focusing on providing advice and e-books on the principles of visual display to present data in the most effective and / or arresting manner.
The College of Policing's 'Delivering Effective Analysis'