Development of data-driven approaches to crime and traffic safety (DDACTS): case study for the city of Regina

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Under traditional enforcement systems, enforcement officers and city engineers typically wait until a location is identified as a problem area for crimes or traffic collisions before taking law enforcement action. Enforcement depends on officers' intuition and experience, and responding to calls from the public. This approach is clearly reactive rather than proactive. In contrast, the proposed "Development of Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS)" strategy is based on data-driven, scientific analysis. DDACTS is sophisticated, intelligence-led, and predictive. The system targets areas where, because high numbers of crimes and collisions are predicted, enforcement will be more efficient and can contribute to crime and collision prevention. The main goal of the proposed research program in Regina is four fold: 1) introduce/establish a new, data-driven and analytical enforcement program designed to simultaneously and proactively reduce the expected number of future crimes/collisions, 2) specifically consider the impact of weather on crimes and collisions, 3) develop a prototype mobile enforcement communication system (e.g., BlackBerry App) to assist field enforcement officers, and 4) evaluate how DDACTS impacts the number and type of crimes and collisions in Regina. Proactive enforcement based on prevention through focused data supported intelligence and analysis is likely to be far more cost effective than the current reactive approach, especially if it can be designed to reduce crimes and collisions simultaneously. Due to the development of GIS based advanced geospatial and geostatistical technologies, it is now possible to predict and identify hotspots where particular types of crimes and collisions overlap, and to show how they vary by time of day, day of the week, and season. The proposed mobile enforcement communication system will inform field enforcement officers of hotspots in real-time via officers' handheld devices enabling officers to conduct more effective enforcement tactics and to protect the public from preventable crimes and collisions.