A team from the Federal Criminal Police has been working for several years with an app that provides geographic information about possible perpetrators. Now the agency has been honored for its groundbreaking investigations in the US.
Two investigators concentrate, heads together above a monitor. They study maps on the screen showing where a serial killer has struck. Suddenly, a brilliant idea comes: there is a certain street that the killer regularly uses for his bloody excursions.
It is just a scene from the popular TV series ‘Criminal Minds’, in which American profilers create profiles based on the psyche of the perpetrator and use geographical data to track him down. Even though there are fortunately not that many serial killers walking around in Austria, the scenes are not as unrealistic as you might think at first.
Researchers from a wide range of professional fields
In addition to criminal psychology, since 2017 there has also been the so-called Office 4.5 in Department 4 of the Federal Criminal Police (criminal analysis) in Vienna. Seven researchers, brought together from a wide variety of disciplines such as police, psychology, history, cartography and even the post office, think about the questions that their police colleagues and criminals on the streets are concerned with every day.
For example: Where do burglaries, possible gang crimes, or even robberies occur? Are there other crimes that are similar and could be part of a series of crimes? Are certain crimes increasing in certain regions of the country?
The Crime Atlas is on every police officer’s mobile phone
To answer these questions, the Crime Atlas was launched in early 2022. It is a simple app that is available to everyone in uniform 24 hours a day. Regardless of whether a handbag is stolen somewhere in Austria or someone is injured with a knife: the data is entered directly into the app’s system via the police stations.
Car burglar in Danube city likely a serial offender
When the ‘Krone’ visited Office 4.5, the app showed about 52 car break-ins within one day in the Vienna Danube city. Because they almost all took place on one street, the experts assume that it is a suspicious series. Another example: When an arsonist kept the police on tenterhooks, the department managed to reconstruct the suspect’s route to work using geographical clues. Days later they managed to catch him with mounted cameras.
Austria is one of the world leaders in geoprofiling
Now the successful work of Office 4.5 has been recognized with a special award. The team of the Federal Criminal Police Office received the international “Gis Award” on Wednesday evening (local time) in San Diego, California. And with that, they overcame all competition from offices and authorities worldwide. Proof that Austria is one of the absolute world leaders in the field of geographic profiling.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
