Crime analysis studies patterns and probabilities in crime, focusing on tactical, operational, and strategic studies. Crime analysts study past crimes and criminals to develop profiles and use data to predict future crimes. They communicate findings to government and law enforcement agencies and can help organize neighborhood watch programs. Crime analysis is different from intelligence analysis, which focuses on organized crime.
Crime analysis is the study of patterns and probabilities in crime. It focuses on three things: tactical, operational and strategic studies. Tactical studies focus on immediate problems in the community, such as rape, murder, and robbery; these are issues that need to be addressed immediately. Operational studies focus on potential problems and where locations need more or less police on duty. Strategic studies are based on potential long-term problems and solutions to those problems.
These studies are conducted by a crime analyst. The first part of a crime analyst’s job is to study past crimes and criminals, looking for patterns. This involves developing profiles for criminals, looking at their personality types, what crimes they commit and how they commit them. People commit crimes for a reason, from boredom to anger or jealousy. Understanding these motives and knowing any actions that led to the crime being committed can help a crime analyst begin to see a pattern.
The second part of a crime analyst’s job is to use the data developed during studies to predict future crimes. Although the analyst cannot walk down a busy street, pointing out people who are about to commit a crime, it is possible to use the survey data to prevent crime in other ways. For example, studies have shown that the crime rate in an area increases if the street lights are broken and the streets are not well maintained. Crime prevention in this case can be done by cleaning the streets, installing new bulbs in street lights, and possibly starting a neighborhood watch program.
The third part of the job is to communicate the study findings in a way that makes the information useful. A crime analyst might work with the government, discussing geographic economic conditions that contribute to crime and discussing ways to alleviate some of those conditions. A crime analyst can also collaborate with local law enforcement agencies, reviewing current trends in criminal activity. Crime analysts can also give community presentations on crime prevention and help organize neighborhood watch programs.
A crime analyst’s job is to use past crimes to prevent future crimes. This job is different from the job of an intelligence analyst, which is primarily to study the behavior of organized crime, determining the links between organizations and criminal activities. Many people confuse the two jobs. While both professions involve the study and analysis of crimes and criminals, the crime analyst deals with a much wider range of criminal activities, allowing them to predict and help prevent many other types of crimes.
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