Written question asked by Ashok Kumar (Labour) on Monday, 1 December 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 19 May 2004. It was answered by Hazel Blears (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 May 2004 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what use is being made of geographic information systems to match police project funding to area-specific problems (a) in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, (b) by Government Office of the Regions area and (c) in England.

Answer: Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use is being made of geographic information systems to match police project funding to area-specific problems (a) in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, (b) by Government Office of the Regions area and (c) in England. [141860] Ms Blears: I understand that Cleveland Police use North East Regional Information Sharing System (NERISS) for crime mapping and data sharing. Cleveland also use Intergraph public safety mapping for command and control and Mapinfo for crime analysis and to inform tasking and co-ordination meetings and patrol patterns. The Chief Constable of Cleveland Police informs me that resources are distributed locally according to an allocation model that is in part based on levels of deprivation. The force is in the process of adjusting its method of allocation to recognise, for example, the policing environment, in Middlesborough. The adjustment is informed by ongoing analysis of crime and disorder in the force area. Comprehensive information on a national basis is not available but we are aware of police and local authorities using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in some instances to target funding and other resources.

Secondary information