Ministers hail new crime-mapping website as a huge step forward for transparency and police accountability

By Jonathan Isaby

The Coalition agreement stated:

"We will oblige the police to publish detailed local crime data statistics every month, so the public can get proper information about crime in their neighbourhoods and hold the police to account for their performance."

As of this morning that commitment has been well and truly delivered.

A new website, www.police.uk, has gone live today which allows the public to see street-by-street crime statistics along with maps which allow you to identify crime hotspots.  Crimes are broken down by burglary, anti-social behaviour, robbery, vehicle crime, violent crime and other crime, with statistics available both by street and by neighbourhood, all discoverable simply by entering a postcode. Below, for example, is what the site will bring up if David Cameron enters his own postcode: he will be reassured to know that Downing Street was a crime-free zone in December.

The site also names your local beat officers, gives you a number and email address for them and details of when they are next holding a street briefing or drop-in surgery.

Home Secretary Theresa May hailed the development as a key part of the Government's transparency agenda:

"We want people to be able to see what crime is happening on their street and to be able to tell their local police if they have concerns, and challenge them about how issues are being dealt with. From today, this new information will allow them to do just that. This is a major achievement, reconnecting the police and communities through the power of information.

"But this is just the start. We want to build on this by working with the police and communities to explore how we can go further and faster and drive forward even greater transparency across crime, policing and justice."

Nick Herbert, the Minister for policing and criminal justice, expressed particular satisfaction at the launch of the website:

"I have been an advocate of street-level crime mapping since seeing it work in Los Angeles so I am excited to see this website launched today, particularly as I believe it goes further and is more comprehensive than any other scheme.  Police.uk will make England and Wales world leaders in this field, with every citizen able to access details about crimes on their streets.

"Together with the introduction of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners, we are giving people the information and power to hold their local forces to account and ensure that crime in their neighbourhood is driven down."

Go to www.police.uk if you want to see crime stats for your street.