A program that charts reported criminal activity and plots it onto an interactive map is helping Halifax Regional Police tackle crime more effectively.
“It allows us to work smarter rather than just harder,” said Insp. Don Moser, the divisional commander of East Division in Dartmouth.
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The Comstat program was introduced as a pilot program in 2012; it’s since been rolled out to all divisions.
Each division has its own crime analyst to go through data and create maps every three weeks.
“From there, we direct our patrol, and that is decided by our divisional commanders,” said Sherri Loadman, manager of the Crime Analysis Unit.
The idea is to use the data to direct resources where they’re most needed.
“We go, we sort of attack the problem and then move on to the next issue,” said Moser.
Police departments across Canada and the United States use Comstat to improve their effectiveness in towns and cities.
Halifax police have used statistics for the same purposes before, but Loadman said this program provides a more formal method of doing it.
The data is also shared with other justice departments.
“It’s encouraged us to change how we do business. The Comstat model really does hold us to account to make sure that we’re addressing the issues at hand,” said Moser.
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