West Midlands Police has invested in new data analysis techniques to help tackle serious violent crime and reduce the cost of crime.
Using the latest geospatial tools from Esri UK the force has gained a more accurate understanding of violent crime hotspots, down to street level and individual property, enabling more targeted policing. The project is part of the Hot Spot Action Programme funded by the Home Office.
Results in the last 12 months include reducing knife crime by 16%, making 812 arrests and seizing over 500 weapons. The cost of crime to society has also been reduced by £13 million. These are the latest milestones in West Midlands Police’s move to combine its POP (Problem Oriented Policing) training with the latest geospatial analysis techniques to tackle knife crime.
The highly targeted approach is being spearheaded by a specialist taskforce named Project Guardian, created in 2024 to reduce knife crime and serious youth violence as a top priority.
The taskforce invested in two geospatial analysts coupled with advanced geospatial software from Esri UK, in order to modernise methods and provide direct support to tactical operations. The new methods involve targeting specific crime types with particular policing techniques and specialist officers, including a mixture of plain-clothes operations and high-visibility patrols. Along with enforcement, the Guardian officers also engage with and educate young people around the life-changing impact of knife crime.
Project Guardian lead at West Midlands Police, Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Askew, said: “Applying new analysis techniques is critical in discovering robust methods to combat serious violent crime. Having access to the most sophisticated software means our analysis is more accurate and also quicker to achieve. Our patrols can now act on intelligence from Esri tools and focus their attention on the right places and help reduce knife crime. The intelligence our analysts now deliver means less weapons on the streets and reduced crime numbers.”
“West Midlands Police is among the first forces in the UK to elevate its application of geographic analysis to help prevent crime,” commented Chris Gardiner, Head of Sector, Public Safety, Esri UK. “Using these latest analysis techniques and investing in new skills, the force is modernising its understanding of crime hotspots and precisely targeting the worst affected areas.”
Future plans to develop the system include the use of a mobile patrol solution to improve intelligence on activity and reporting of hotspot patrols.