A new digital application by the City of Montreal is literally pointing out crime in your neighbourhood.
The site, Vue sur la sécurité publique boasts an open data tool that citizens can use to consult information related to criminal incidents around the city—from vandalism and petty theft, all the way to homicide.
Nearly 29,000 separate incidents reported to the SPVM since 2015 are represented on the digital map. Clicking on any one of the blue dots will give you information regarding the type of crime committed there.
The information is updated regularly and is considerate of any privacy concerns. For example, clicking on a dot will not give the user an exact address, but rather the location of the intersection nearest to the scene.
Clusters of dots are shown in areas closer to downtown Montreal, and disperse in areas of the city that are less populated.
The events can be swept into six categories: trespassing, motor theft, vandalism, armed robbery, and murder. Users can filter the information shown on the map based on the type of infraction.
The map does not contain any information about sexual assaults.
