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Vancouver Police Say New Program Could Stop Crime Before It Happens

The Canadian Press, 21 Jul, 2017 03:03 PM

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Police Department says it will be the first in Canada to start using a new crime-prediction model that could stop crimes before they happen.

The department says the computerized model allows officers to forecast the location of property crime and take measures to prevent it.

Full-time use of the new program follows a six-month pilot study last year that police say contributed to a substantial decrease in residential break-ins.

The department says in a news release that the program identifies areas where residential or commercial break-ins are anticipated, sets up 100- and 500-metre zones around the targeted sites and sends officers to the zones for a visible presence to deter thieves.

The program is built on an interactive mapping tool developed by the police department in 2015 that enhanced public awareness of police activity in the city.

A version of the program retroactively plots the location of crimes on a map to provide a general idea of crime trends to the public.

Vancouver's Chief Constable Adam Palmer says the department is always looking for ways to reduce property crimes.

"This new predictive technology gives our front line officers one more tool to use to supplement our traditional policing methods," he says in the release.

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