Mapping out the crime fight

He's right. Greater public awareness – once the Home Office has overcome the technical glitches that bedevilled yesterday's "live" launch – can only help the wider fight against crime. But what the Policing Minister did not say is that this reform could pre-empt two tier policing in this country.

It is a concern that Mr Herbert must not ignore. Why? The very people who are likely to use crime maps, and use the information so that police chiefs alter their priorities accordingly, are those individuals who are both active in their local community and internet-savvy.

It will do little to help those well-meaning residents citizens who, for whatever reason, are not Neighbourhood Watch stalwarts for example – or those people, and particularly the elderly, who do not have access to a computer. Yet, as law-abiding citizens, they should expect exactly the same rights – and treatment – from the police than those people who are more vocal on the subject. As taxpayers, they certainly pay for that privilege.

It was also abundantly clear, as Mr Herbert raised expectations, that the Government believes the release of such data will lead to a significant decrease in crime-rates. A laudable objective, but two significant obstacles still need to be overcome if this vision is to become a welcome reality.

First, the Minister seemed oblivious to the fact that Yorkshire's four police forces may actually see the number of frontline officers diminish, despite their significant – and ongoing – attempts to reduce their overheads through procurement savings. Fewer police is surely not the answer at a time when most people are calling for officers to patrol individual neighbourhoods and to be at the heart of community life.

Second, the fear of crime – and perceived threats to public safety – is as important as the offences that are recorded on crime maps. For early intervention, on the part of the police, can lessen the potential of criminality at a later date, a point that also needs acknowledging as these controversial changes – technology permitting – are rolled out.