Police hope the portal will encourage the public to take an active role in safety and crime prevention
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The Edmonton Police Service has launched a publicly available crime data map, to increase transparency, facilitate community engagement and support safety.
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the Community Safety Data Portal will provide comprehensive data, including crime statistics and trends occurring in Edmonton, the service said in a news release Thursday.
The new crime map is in response to feedback concerning the limitations of the original crime map launched in 2009, which used eight crime indicators. Edmonton police said this version was restricted and only captured about 15 per cent of crime within the city.
The new model will provide a more encompassing view with detailed information and measurement of crime data.
“Leveraging the continued modernization of EPS’ information systems, our Community Safety Data Portal is specifically designed to share fulsome calls for service and crime information to improve community awareness of policing activity and engage citizens in crime prevention strategies so that we can work in partnership to build safer communities,” Sean Tout, executive director of information management and intelligence, said in the news release.
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The portal can be viewed on desktop or mobile and provides residents with a glimpse of police activity in their neighborhoods so that they may identify possible safety concerns.
Police hope the portal will encourage the public to take an active role in safety and crime prevention.
“The Community Safety Data Portal was specifically designed in support of EPS’ vision of a forward-thinking police service that strengthens public trust by addressing crime, harm, and disorder,” said Tout.
“Our mission to be relentless on crime, and a leading partner in building community safety, starts with transparency and empowering our community with factual and timely community safety information.”