Facinating research suggestion being tested in Santa Cruz – can Police predict and then stop crime that hasn’t yet happened?

They’re trying futuristic sfotware that looks at crime data and predicts where it is next most likely to happen. They then put more emphasis on those locations for Police patrols. The hope is that this will prevent crime or if it fails to do that increase the chances of catching the criminals there and then.

The software has developed by mathematicians from Santa Clara University – George Mohler and co. In a previous successfil test 2004-05 they predicted 25% of the actual burglaries and the locations on any pday based on the previous 36hours data of that crime type.

I’ve read about crime being studied epidemiologically but these guys treat it mathematically as an earthquake with aftershocks. The aftershocks being further crimimal events.

Do you think we could apply this theory to East Dulwich?