LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS AND PLANNING WITH CRIME MAPPING

Police Planning

Planning is a fundamental management function which involved deciding beforehand, what is to be done,
when is to be done, how it is to be done and who is going to do it.
Plan can be defined as an organized schedule or sequence of methodical activities intended to attain a goal or
objectives for the accomplishment of a mission or assignment.

Police Planning is an attempt by a police administrator in allocating anticipated resources to meet anticipated
service demands. The systematic and orderly determination of facts and events as basis for policy formulation
and decision making affecting law enforcement management.
Operational Planning is the use of rational design or pattern for all departmental undertaking rather than
relying on change on an operational environment. It is the preparation and development of procedures and
techniques in accomplishing of each of the primary and functions of an organizations.
Police operational Planning is the act of determining policies and guidelines for police activities and
operations and providing controls and safeguards for such activities and operations in the department. It may
also be the process of formulating coordinated sequence of methodical activities and allocation of resources to
the line units of the of the police organization for the attainment of the mandated objectives or goals.

Steps in planning process

1. Defining Goal or Objectives

The first and important step in the planning process is Goal setting. Goals are defined at the
organizational department, and individual level and are meant to be achieved in future in a specific time
period. A goal can short-term, mid-term or long-term.
2. Collecting Information
It is a necessary part of planning gathering information such as facts and figures required to achieve
goals. Target audience, circumstances, market information, competitor's strategy, etc. are required to
make a right and effective plan.
3. Analyzing information
After collecting the necessary information, the next step in the planning process is interpreting
information as per goals. Analyzing information includes organizing collected information as per
importance, identifying accuracy and relevance of information from different sources, its unique features,
sources and reliability for the organization.
4. Making Plan
Once relevant information is collected and analyzed, the next thing to do is to formulate a plan to achieve
defined goals
5. Implement the plan
After creating a plan, it is now time to allocate defined activities, resources, time guidelines to individuals.
This is where strategies and plans are converted into actions to achieve goals.
6. Monitor the plan
Once a plan is implemented, it's necessary to evaluate and monitor its effectiveness and impact
according to desired goals.
Guidelines in Planning
The (5) five W’s and (1) H
1. What to do
2. Why to do
3. When to do
4. Where to do
5. Who will do
6. How to do

Categories of Plan in an Organizations

Category # 1. Time Dimension in Planning

According to time dimension planning period is divided into:

Long-Range Planning
Long term plans are for the long term objectives of the organization. It defines the mission of the
organization, and outlines its major strategies and policies. The period of long term planning may extend
from one year to twenty years or more. Generally it is for 5 to 10 years.

Intermediate-Range Planning
Intermediate-range plans usually cover the period from 6 to 18 months in the future. It refers to the plans,
which determine quantity and quality efforts and accomplishments.

Short-Range Planning
Short-range plans generally apply to a specific time frame in which a specific series of operations will be
carried out, assessed, and measured. It usually covers the period from one day to six months. These
short-term plans cover the specifics of each day-to-day operation.

Category # 2 The Use Dimension in Planning

Plans are often divided into two broad categories on the basis of their usage: going plans for recurring or
long term activities, of Standing plans, and the One-shot plans or single-use that are essentially non-
recurring

Standing Plans (On Going Plans)

It provides continuing guidance to the actions or expected actions of organization members. It may be
divided into three major categories
1. Policies - refer to statements of aims, purposes, principles or intentions which serve as continuing
guidelines for management in accomplishing objectives. It is a general guideline for decision
making.
2. Procedures - these are more specific and detailed rules, commonly expressed as methods or
steps to do a particular activity. It is a chronological sequence of detailed instructions necessary
for the successful carrying out of an activity.
3. Rules - it is the simplest type of standing plan. They are statements that a specific action must or
must not be taken in a given situation. They act as substitutes to thinking and decision making and
thus serve as guides to behavior. It states specific actions for particular situations. In a sense, they
are guides to 'acceptable behavior'.
Single Use Plans (One-shot Plans)
refer to certain predetermined courses of action which are developed for relatively unique, non repetitive
situations. Examples of One shot plans are:

1. Programmes- It is a collection of organizational resources that is geared to accomplish a certain major

goal or set of goals. It is a large-scale, single use plan involving various interrelated activities. It specifies
the objectives, major steps necessary to achieve these objectives, individuals or departments responsible
for each step, the order of the various steps, and resources to be deployed or employed.

2. Projects- It is a single-use plan that is either a component of a programme or that is on a smaller scale
than a programme. Project planning is a discipline addressing how to complete a project in a certain time
frame, usually with defined stages and designated resources.

3. Budgets- A budget is simply a statement in quantitative and usually financial terms of the planned
allocation and use of resources. It can be defined as a financial plan listing in detail the resources or
funds assigned to a particular programme project, product or division.

Types of Plans

Planning has four main types they are:

1. Operational Planning
Operational Planning is the use of rational design or pattern for all departmental undertakings rather than
relying on chance in an operational environment. The preparation and development of procedures and
techniques in accomplishing each of the primary tasks and functions of an organization. These are the
plans that are made by front line, or low-level, managers. It is focused on the specific procedures and
processes that occur within the lowest levels of the organization

2. Strategic Planning
Strategic planning deals with the future, but only as it relates to present decisions. It is the process of
selecting an organization's goals, determining the policies and programs necessary to achieve specific
objectives, and establishing the methods necessary to assure that the policies and strategic programs are
implemented. It is defined as long-range planning that focuses on the entire organization. It involves
managers at the highest levels. Executive directors and presidents, leaders of the organization, are
involved. They must have a part in where the organization is headed and how it will get there. It's the
foundational basis of the organization and will dictate long-term decisions. The scope of strategic
planning can be anywhere from the next two years to the next 10 years. Important components of a
strategic plan are vision, mission and values.

3. Tactical Planning
Tactical planning is characterized as short-term planning. This type of planning is usually confined to one
year or less. It is more concerned with current operations, and as such, usually involves mid level
managers instead of the highest level managers. Tactical planners are thinking about tomorrow and next
week or next month and planning is much more detailed than strategic.
4. Contingency Planning
Contingency Planning is need-based and is formulated when the need for change arises or during the
occurrence of any unexpected circumstance. It is also called alternate plans as it comes under picture
once other plans fail to produce desired results.

Other Types of Plans

Aside from the four major types of plans here are other types of plans
● Reactive Plans- these are plans that are developed as a result of a crisis. A particular problem may
occur for which the department has no plan and must quickly develop one, sometimes without
careful preparation.

● Proactive Plans- these are plans that are developed in anticipation of problems. Although not all
police problems are predictable, many are, and it is possible for a police department to prepare a
response in advance.

● Visionary Plans- these are plans that are essential statements that identify the role of the police in
the community and the condition or state to which the department can aspire. A vision may also
include a statement of values to be used to guide the decision making process in the department.

● Extra-office Plan- these are plans for the operation of special divisions like patrol, detective, traffic,
vice and juvenile control division.

● Management Plan- these are formal planning tools that aim to design the future operations of the
facility. It shall map out in advance all operations involved in the organization's management of
personnel and material and in the procurement and disbursement of money.

Major Approaches in Police Planning

1. Synoptic Approach
Synoptic planning or the rational comprehensive approach is the dominant tradition in planning. This
model is based on a problem-oriented approach to planning especially appropriate for police agencies. It
relies heavily on the problem identification and analysis of the planning process It is a continuous cycle of
understanding an issue, building up and assessing planning measures, making alternatives executing
alternatives, and checking the progress of the picked alternatives. It can assist police administrators in
formulating goals and priorities in terms that are focused on specific problems and solutions that often
confront law enforcement.

2. Transactive Approach
Transactive Approach is an alternative planning that depends on individual correspondence and talk
among planners and the people influenced by planning. It is carried out in face-to-face interaction with the
people who are to be affected by the plan and not to an anonymous target community of beneficiaries It
depends on Social learning theories, gathering, and sharing information, and helping social developments
with acquiring from their experiences. In transactive planning, the goal is shared learning
The transactive planning approach bases on the unsullied experience of people's lives uncovering policy
issues to be tended to.
3. Incremental Approach
Incremental Approach means to break down long term planning into smaller entities. The problem is seen
as too difficult when they are grouped together and easier to solve when they are taken one at a time and
broken down into gradual adjustment overtime. Rather than taking one gigantic jump towards tackling an
issue, the incremental model separates the dynamic cycle into little advances.

4. Advocacy Approach

Advocacy Approach focuses on the greater sensitivity to the unintended and negative side effects of
plans. generally applied to shield the interests of frail against strong local communities, natural causes,
poor people, and the disappointment against the setup forces of business and government. It is premised
upon the inclusion of the different interests involved in the planning process itself.

5. Radical Approach
Radical planning is a stream of metropolitan planning which tries to oversee advancement in a fair and
local area- based way. The first mainstream radical approach involves collective actions to achieve
concrete results in the immediate future. The second mainstream is critical of large-scale social
processes and how they permeate the character of social and economic life at all levels, which, in turn,
determine the structure and evolution of social problems.

CRIME MAPPING
Crime mapping- is the process through which crime analysts and researchers use location information
about crime events to detect spatial patterns in criminal activity.
- Early crime mapping efforts typically involved placing physical markers, such as pins, on maps to
designate the locations where crimes occurred.

Crime mapping is very important in police planning as regards crime suppression or prevention.
It could pin point to police managers where and when crimes happen within the area of responsibility
(AOR) of a certain police unit or station.

Crime Mapping is essential for planning, it has a time span.It could represent the crimes committed within
a week, month, Quarter, semester or year.

Crime mapping consists of:

(1) Title
(2) The map of the AOR of a certain police and
(3) Crime clock and the legend.
Inside the map are shown the types and numbers of crimes that happen at specific locations.

As shown in the Legend, colored plastic pallets could be used to show the type of crimes committed
which are pasted in the map to show where the crimes actually happened.

The crime clock shows when the crimes actually happen and the legend helps the police manager
understands easily the crime mapping.

How Crime Mapping Is Making Communities Safer

- Crime mapping has become incredibly popular as it is turning into one of many ways to
successfully lower crime rates. For police services, crime mapping allows them to become more
transparent in regards to the information that is shared to the public.

- For some communities, this has exponentially improve relations with the police. Initially, police
services were worried about the public having access to this sensitive information, but this has
been the least of their worries due to the benefits it has had - both on reducing crime and
community support.

- Crime mapping has had such a positive impact on communities that it is become a trending tool
for police services across every countries.

BENEFITS OF CRIME MAPPING IN THE PUBLIC:

● Allows for the public to engage in the community, especially involving the community policing
● The public is able to take part in community just as the police do
● Does a better job at minimizing victimization
● Understand which neighborhoods are more prone to certain crimes

HOW CRIME MAPPING HAS HELP THE POLICE:

● Analyze the data and have a better understanding where/why crimes occur frequently
● Examining where past victims and offenders lived and where crimes occurred helps police
determine which neighborhoods attract offenders and where unknown offenders may reside
 ● Helps visualize data, assess human behavior and its relation to geographical areas, and keep up by
following these spatial patterns

Crime Mapping Advantages and Disadvantages

Crime Mapping advantages:

● Crime mapping is an exceptional tool for hearts and minds between the police force and general
public.
● Crime mapping permits police forces to determine which locations require additional support in
means of allocating man-power or security systems.
● Crime mapping enables police forces to inform the public of any changes within the community.

Crime Mapping Disadvantages:

● Crime mapping is open source information which anyone can access online, adversaries included.
● Crime mapping will aid adversaries in planning and earmarking criminal activities based on the
information provided online.
● Adversaries can clearly see where police forces are most active and which locations are targeted
more often.
● Adversaries can therefore target the same locations due to poor base line security measures from
local police, residents and companies, or target locations where police activity is minimal.
● Crime mapping is man power intensive and requires additional support updating the system with
real time information.

The police do not only maintain Crime mapping, they also have Traffic Mapping or sometimes called
Traffic spot maps.
Their traffic mapping indicates place in the AOR with heavy traffic congestion at specific times of the day
Because a police officer on patrol should not be in the places where he is not needed, the traffic mapping
could tell the traffic police officer where there is a heavy traffic congestion.