VIDEO: Are crime maps welcome in your area? (From News Shopper)

VIDEO: Are crime maps welcome in your area?

2:02pm Friday 15th August 2008 in

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CRIME maps showing where and how often offences are committed could be seen on the internet from next month.

The Met is currently testing electronic crime mapping software and plans to launch the system in September, after a technical review.

Interactive maps will sit alongside monthly crime statistics published on the Met police website and will provide details of the number, rate and geographical location of defined crime types on a ward, borough and pan-London basis.

A test map can be viewed online at maps.met.police.uk.

By clicking on a borough, you can see the figures for burglary, robbery and vehicle crime and comparison figures from previous years.

According to the map the crime rate in the Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich boroughs is average for London.

And Bexley is below average.

Crime maps have been used in the US - notably in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles - where police departments show incidents at a house-to-house level.

News Shopper went to Burnt Ash Hill in Lee - the scene of the murder of teenager Jimmy Mizen on May 10 - to find out what people think about crime maps.

Watch the video to hear their views.