Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Thursday, 30 October 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 3 November 2008. It was answered by Alan Campbell (Labour) on Monday, 10 November 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Crime: Maps

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effects local crime mapping has had on householders living in the areas where the scheme is in operation with regard to (a) insurance premiums and (b) other matters.

Answer: All police forces are committed to deliver public-facing crime mapping by December 2008 as part of the Policing Pledge that was announced in the Policing Green Paper 'From the neighbourhood to the national' in July 2008. Five forces currently produce monthly crime maps for the public.(a) We are unaware of any evidence which suggests that crime mapping has had any effects on insurance premiums.(b) West Yorkshire police have carried out two small scale market research studies with members of the public which seem to suggest crime maps did not increase the level of fear of crime. Those in higher crime areas tend not to be alarmed by the level of crime depicted on crime maps and those in lower crime areas were often surprised about the low level of crime.

Secondary information