Building GIS research capacity in crime and policing research in Scotland

Alistair Geddes & Donald Houston

Geography, School of Social Sciences

SIPR Research Tools Seminar, 20th May 2009

Why are we here(in this session)?

• Crime mapping is increasing well-established

• Broader expectations for changes in police performance analysis and management

– Intelligence-led– Proactive – effective engagement with local organisations and

communities– Appropriate local resource allocation

• Amidst other management and technology solutions, GIS “offers a means of making sense of the police service’s arena of operations” (Ashby et al., 2007)

Research with GIS

• Crime mapping / pattern analysis / hotspot detection: ongoing reqs for methodological development and coherence

• Beyond crime mapping – more strategic reqs

– e.g. by leveraging geo-referenced databases not traditionally used in policing

– geodemographic databases (socioeconomic + demographic data at postcode level).

• Understanding and implementing appropriate procedures for integrating, visualising and sharing geo-referenced data

Research on GIS

• Differing expectations / emphases / concerns among analysts / management / officers about the possibilities / limits of GIS. How are these managed?

• What resources and strategies are provided for training, confidence-building and empowering GIS analysts and managers? How effective are they?

• Ongoing req. for monitoring & analysis, and development of ‘best practice’ case material

Research on GIS(continued)

• ‘Qualifying’ GIS forms of analysis and output with other forms of knowledge on crime and policing:

– e.g. reconciling differences between, and integrating, computer-mapped hotspots and officers’ own knowledge and perceptions of high/low crime areas

– e.g. using hotspot maps to explore community / neighbourhood experiences or fears of crime

GIS research capacity inScottish universities?

Undergraduate & postgraduate GIS courses in all major universities

Software, hardware, data resources

Strong record of applied GIS research – examples:

Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics data zones

Social impacts in flood-affected neighbourhoods

Ethnic / religious segregation in Scottish cities

But…challenges

• Who in the police holds responsibility / is able to get involved in such research? What are the incentives and rewards?

• Mechanisms for research partnerships are relatively rigid compared to university-external sector linkages.

Current police usage of GIS

• Who is currently using GIS?

• Who is planning to use GIS?

• Who would like to use GIS?

• Who is unsure about using GIS?

Opportunities to engage

1. Student projects: undergraduate and MSc level

2. Research studentships (PhD)

3. SIPR Practitioner Fellowships and Knowledge Transfer / Knowledge Exchange-type partnerships

4. Training offered on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses / consultancy basis

Undergraduate & MScstudent projects

• Both levels requires completion of a independent dissertation study involving data collection / fieldwork over single summer vacation period

• Supervised by at least one member of university staff• Encouraged and eager to use the dissertation as

opportunity to gain research / work-related experience with external organisations

• Written up as approx 10,000 word research report• Opportunities for both secondary and primary data

analysis; quantitative and qualitative research• Free!

PhD studentships1. SIPR studentships – open call2. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Collaborative

studentships– Annual calls for funding – November deadline– Support able students up to 4 years full-time (1+3) or 5 years part-

time– ESRC pays maintenance grant and fees for student– Collaborative partner £3000 to the student and £3000 to the

academic institution per annum

• Supervised by two members of university staff

• Written up as thesis and in research papers, including extensive ‘state of the art’ literature reviews

• Opportunities to investigate organisational/management questions surrounding GIS implementation for crime and policing; to assess/develop GIS methodologies and approaches.

Knowledge Transfer /Knowledge Exchange

SIPR Practitioner Fellowships• Placement of a police ‘practitioner’ in a university for 3-12 months• Regular supervision with member of university staff• Free! (fieldwork and travel costs funded by SIPR)• http://www.sipr.ac.uk/research/fellow.php

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships• KTP partnerships funded via DTI / Scottish Enterprise, administered

locally• Associate (a recent graduate) is appointed to work on a project• 90% in partner organisation; 10% in university with supervisor• Cost to partner organisation £16-20K per annum• Exclude public sector organisations - so requires development via a

commercial or voluntary sector associate• http://www.ktponline.org.uk/

Training

• CPD (group-based); consultancy (individuals / smaller groups)

• Short (1 day) CPD courses at intro/intermediate/advanced levels on specific topics – e.g. data geo-referencing; ESDA tools (exploratory spatial data analysis); using geodemographic databases

• Based on existing teaching and web-based educational resources

• Opportunities to extend software-based skills acquisition to problem-oriented training focussed on ‘real’ data sets

• Day rates vary depending on scale of training

Summary

GIS research expertise in most Scottish universitiesSIPR provides policing angle

Universities’ agenda for ‘knowledge transfer’ and ‘real world’ applications

GIS has the potential to help facilitate the ‘intelligence’ agenda in policing

So…let’s get together!

Dundee University contacts

• Dr Alistair Geddes– a.y.geddes@dundee.ac.uk– Tel. 01382 384432

• Dr Donald Houston– d.s.houston@dundee.ac.uk– Tel. 01382 384643