Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Sian C James (Labour). It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Monday, 27 October 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Local Crime Mapping

Question: What assessment she has made of the effect of local crime mapping on levels of public confidence in policing.

Answer: The Association of Chief Police Officers tells me that from December this year, all forces will be able to publish neighbourhood crime maps as part of the policing pledge that I announced in July. The minimum standard required will be thematic maps of the same-crime categories, such as burglary, robbery, theft, vehicle crime, violent crime and antisocial behaviour incidents. That will be at least at ward level, and the information will be presented through easily accessible local crime information websites, which will make it possible for the public to make simple comparisons between neighbourhoods.

Secondary information