Crime analysis is an important function, exercised by law enforcement agencies. Crucial nature of this function is called forth by the fact that crime analysis results constitute the ground for formation and development of crime prevention and intervention policies and programs at all the level of governance. According to the definition, worked out by Emig, Heck and Kravitz (1980), crime analysis represents a set of systemic analytical processes, aimed at providing timely relevant information about crime, its patterns’ and trends’ correlations.
As it is stated in the study by R.Boba (2005), despite the fact that crime analysis is conducted with the help of combination of qualitative and quantitative data and methods, it is more concentrated on applying quantitative data and methods (6)
Specialists in crime analysis use various sources of data. An important part of crime analysis is analyzing the types, accessibility and reliability of both available and potential sources of data (Boba, 2000). In this regard it worth emphasizing importance of determining integrity of data, which means its quality, which can be estimated with referral to data consistence and accuracy. Data quality requirements call forth the fact that crime analysts tend to prefer using official data to referring to the one, represented in media sources. To our mind, different types of media, including news media, can contain data, useful for crime analysis, however, cannot be considered valuable sources of data.
As for the first statement, it is clear that news media highlights most up-to-date events including crimes. Data, provided in the news media, can be useful if a crime analyst needs to compare and contrast some recent crimes or lacks access to any official data. It may seem that news media can be used to obtain some factual data; however, in this respect it is worth not forgetting the fact that all kinds of media are market-driven. In other words, it means that the main aim of media is to achieve greater sales, rather than highlight information in an objective way. According to the results of the study by S.Beale (2006), media content’s shape is to great extent predetermined by economic and marketing considerations, which are very likely to override traditional journalism-based news-making criteria (2). Here it is also necessary to mention that news media reflect a small part of committed crimes as they tend not to pay attention to the ones, which are not likely to attract attention of the public. Despite lack of reliability of factual information, containing in the news media, this source can still be valuable for crime analysis in case we assume that media tends to manifest societal interests and attitudes, so that it is able to attract opinion of a particular target. Views and attitudes, reflected in news media, can help crime analyst understand general trends, which concern societal attitudes to the problems of crime, criminal policy and justice. According to K.Dowler (2003), news media is the main source of public knowledge about crime and justice. Being aware of such views and attitudes can help the analyst predict social reaction to a particular prevention or intervention policy he is going to offer in order to tackle issues, existing in terms of current societal situation. Furthermore, identifying gaps in the way news media provides people with data related to criminal policy and justice can help analysts work out awareness-raising programs, which can potentially exert a significant influence on victimization.
Concluding we would like to mention that news media is valuable source to get to know public opinions and attitudes, so that they can be respected in terms of elaborating on relevant prevention and intervention programs.
References
Beale, S.S.(2006). The news media influence on criminal justice policy: how market-driven news promotes punitiveness. William and Mary Law Review, 48(2), pp.397-481
Boba, R. (2005). Crime analysis and crime mapping. London: SAGE
Boba, R. (2000). Guidelines to implement and evaluate crime analysis and mapping in law enforcement agencies. Washington, DC: U.S.Department of Justice
Dowler, K.(2003). Media consumption and public attitudes toward crime and justice: the relationship between fear of crime, punitive attitudes, and perceived police effectiveness. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, 10(2), pp.109-126
Emig, M.N., Heck, R.O., Kravitz, M. (1980). Crime analysis: a selected bibliography. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice
