Costa Rica police stations will now have a new tool that maps criminal activity in different parts of the country and allows officers to identify areas that need more attention.
This new tool is a system called Agepol (Analisis Geospacial para la Policía) and it was developed by the Costa Rican Institute of Drug Control (ICD). The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) has been using the system since a few months ago, but it was officially presented this week.
Through the generation of color coded maps the program shows which parts of the country show the highest criminal activity.
With the program, criminal experts and investigators enter the data they collect about assaults and robberies and the places where they occur, and the program analyses and classifies the information by region and the type of crime that occurs the most.
According to Vice Minister of Public Security, Celso Gamboa, this technological tool will allow better planning of police work and better use of police resources, which will result in greater efficiency in crime prevention.
Gamboa also stated that the use of this tool has lead to a 20% decrease in crime rate in the central town of San Jose. Meanwhile, the use of Agepol has resulted in a 19% decrease in property theft and homicide rates through out the country.
Another advantage of using Agepol mentioned by the Gamboa is that it will allow the Ministry of Public Security to assess the efficiency of police work in every community in the country, and thus verify if the resources provided are being properly used in the fight against and the prevention of crime.
The data generated by the system Agepol will be shared with the public in order for citizens to know the places and times of the day where most crimes are committed and thus take the necessary precautions.
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica
