People who live in the UK, and by that we mean any and all neighborhoods in England and Wales, will have access to online maps that present the crime patterns in the particular place they live in, by the end of 2008. This is an initiative by the Home Secretary who reported earlier this month that the UK police force must post on their websites detailed and up to date info on all crime related activities.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith comments, "The public are the best weapon for fighting crime. By rolling out up-to-date, interactive crime maps we can better inform people about crime problems in their area and enable them to have much more of a say in what their local police focus on. This will help increase public confidence in the police and make communities safer."

The new online crime maps will work on three levels: first of all they will let UK residents know where a particular crime has occurred, as well as when it happened. Just like Google StreetView lets you roam around some distant place in the world and watch the scenery at street level, so will the crime maps show you info on crimes that occurred at this level. Second, you will be able to compare the crime activity of one area, with the crime activity of other areas (it may come in handy when trying to pick a place to live). Third, the public will be better informed on how the law enforcement respond to wrongdoers and their breaking the law.

"We are working with the Association of Chief Police Officers to bring in the best police and government expertise to roll out local crime maps in every neighborhood by the end of the year. I want to congratulate the West Midlands police force for being among the first to develop this new tool."