I recently read about an interesting project underway in the UK, this courtesy of an article from the MailOnline – The London Mugging Map! Indeed a very interesting project that depends on crowd-sourced information to inform and educate the population on violence. Here’s the idea… using the service (See StreetViolence.org) the user located a place on a map and reports details of a violent crime that took place, perhaps a mugging, or some other crime or act of violence. The user then tags the post as an appeal for a witness, a simple warning to others, or to thank passers by for helping out. there’s also an option to report the crime to local police, however, its important to note that the article points out that local police don’t support or endorse this project.
I’d have to think that since many victims prefer to remain anonymous or simply don’t bother reporting crimes or attacks to the authorities that this is an awesome way to share with the community and perhaps protect others.
Kudos to the creators of this innovative service! See https://www.streetviolence.org/