Vancouver police say computer model could stop crimes before they happen

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Police Department says it will be the first in Canada to start using a new crime-prediction model that could stop crimes before they happen.

The department said Friday that the computerized model allows officers to forecast the locations of property crime and take measures to prevent it.

Full-time use of the program follows a six-month pilot study last year that police said contributed to a substantial decrease in residential break-ins in the city.

The department said in a statement that the program identifies areas where residential or commercial break-ins are anticipated, sets up 100- and 500-metre zones around the targeted sites, and then sends officers to the zones for a visible presence to deter thieves.

The program is built on an interactive mapping tool developed by the police department in 2015 that enhanced public awareness of police activity in the city.

A version of the program retroactively plots the location of crimes on a map to provide a general idea of crime trends to the public.

Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer said the department is always looking for ways to reduce property crimes.

“This new predictive technology gives our frontline officers one more tool to use to supplement our traditional policing methods,” he said.

People visit the MosaïCanada 150 in Gatineau, Que., on Friday. According to the city’s website, mosaïculture is a technique that combines “sculpture for the structure, paint for the palette of colours and horticulture as the means of creating living...