Police release online tool allowing residents to Map crime

With an Internet connection and a computer, residents can find out how many murders, assaults and other crimes plague their neighbourhoods, says the chief of police.

Thunder Bay Police Service unveiled a crime-fighting tool at its Tuesday board meeting. The online map highlights crimes reported by police across the city. The site aims to keep the public informed and aware about issues in their communities.

Users can search for specific dates, areas and crimes. However, the calendar only goes as far back as Dec. 29, 2009.

Thunder Bay Police Service Chief Bob Herman said they are looking into technology to allow the public to report crimes they witness online. Ultimately, the main goal was to keep the public informed of problem areas, he said.

"It is going to make people more aware of what’s going on in their areas," Herman said. "People have to understand that this is raw data. This is a call that is put in by the dispatcher, we send out car and that is what’s on there."

Herman said people generally didn’t report minor crimes that could skew important data.

"Not reporting crimes is a personal choice," he said. "When you look at crime stats it might not reflect what’s going on in the community. It’s not indicative of Thunder Bay, it happens all across the province."

Westfort Coun. and police service board member Joe Virdiramo said he was glad that the public could look up areas within the city and see that area’s crime activity for themselves.
The map also shows areas where crime has decreased, called cold spots. Virdiramo said those cold spots meant that the crime in that location had moved to another area.

"I think the problem areas will be highlighted and the police will do their best," Virdiramo said. "We only have so many officers."

Thunder Bay police also released its annual report during the Tuesday meeting. The report shows that violent crime increased by 0.3 per cent while property crime increased by 11 per cent.

Herman said that increase in property crime is a major concern. The most common crimes committed were thefts under $5,000 with 3,509 incidents in 2009.

"The increase in property crime is primarily driven by mischief and theft from vehicles," he said. "We do think that many of those thefts are related to substance abuse. Often we get reports about change being taken in the vehicles. There are things citizens can do such as locking your doors or taking valuables out of the car."