An introduction to applied crime analysis

Applied Crime Analysis refers to the process of identifying, collating, interpreting, and reporting the results of the ideographic study of a particular case to provide a holistic understanding of the crime or crime series. This process differs from criminal profiling that is a more narrowly defined and applied inferential process. Although there are many types of crime analysis, from the research analyst who serves as librarian and stays current with the current research and literature, to the operational analyst whose work is more akin to that of the investigator. Applied crime analysts could be considered an amalgam of all types: they must possess research skills, identify themes and patterns, and conduct their own investigations from interviewing through to integrating the assembled evidence. This chapter differentiates between the types of analysts and explains the applied crime analysis and profiling nexus, as well as providing areas of practice.