ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how we might go about finding patterns in crime with a view to prioritising which problems merit special attention and then clarifying their precise nature, always with an eye on a potential response. The chapter is relevant to the scanning and analysis elements of SARA. It describes the rationale for finding patterns in crime events and some of the process associated with doing this. The emphasis throughout is on the development of practical, action-oriented outcomes deriving from the analysis, and leading to the response (R). Examples are provided of trend analysis, crime mapping, finding hotspots, and investigating repeat victimisation. The chapter does not go into statistical methods or approaches. There is a plethora of available material on this; rather, the interest is in what can be learned from these analyses and what the practical implications might be.
