John Crace talks to David Canter, the man police forces around the world turn to for advice“In fiction, it is quite easy to link crimes because someone comes in and says they're linked, but in reality it is far harder to make those jumps. So much of the work is about establishing consistency in offending behaviour."
Canter's aim is to provide the police with tools, including software, to enable them better to focus their investigations. This is well illustrated by the failure of the Jill Dando inquiry.
The police knew, almost from day one, that the killer had escaped on foot. Had Canter been consulted, he could have told them that over 80% of killers who escape on foot live within 525 yards of the crime. It took the police over a year to question and arrest Barry George, a man with a record of stalking celebrities. He lived within the 525-yard radius.
"The point is not that it was Barry George and that I turned out to be right," he says. "The point is that, with a focused investigation, the police could have got to him a great deal earlier than they did and eliminated him if necessary." It's a generous disclaimer, but as with much of Canter's work, the results speak for themselves.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/nov/02/ukcrime.highereducationprofile
