5.2. Bottom Up Profiling

Question 1

Whose approach to profiling?

Answer 1

British

Question 2

Data to classification or classification to data?

Answer 2

Data to classification

Question 3

What kind of data does it use?

Answer 3

Quantitative

Question 4

Which type of crimes is this suitable for?

Answer 4

All crimes

Question 5

What does bottom up profiling do?

Answer 5

Narrows down a list of suspects to find a perpetrator

Question 6

What is the aim of bottom up profiling?

Answer 6

To create a profile of the offender (routines, background, characteristics)

Question 7

What comes into investigative psychology?

Answer 7

• Statistical Analysis
• Interpersonal coherence

Question 8

What is statistical analysis?

Answer 8

A procedure that detects patterns across crime scenes.
It acts as a baseline for comparison

Question 9

What is interpersonal coherence?

Answer 9

Offender behaviour usually matches everyday behaviour.
= Its coherent -> reveals information about the offender i.e. how they relate to men/women

Question 10

What is geographical profiling?

Answer 10

• Crime mapping is used to identify time/ base of the offender
• Offenders tend to work in areas they know well = spatial consistency
• This is used with psychological theory to create a profile -> modus operandi

Question 11

What are the 2 modules of behaviour?

Answer 11

1. Marauder
2. Commuter

Question 12

What is a marauder?

Answer 12

Operate close to home

Question 13

What is a commuter?

Answer 13

Travels to offend

Question 14

What is circle theory?

Answer 14

Patterns of crime are eventually likely to form a circle around the perpetrator’s base/ home.
It provides information about their crime making decisions.

Question 15

Strength: Canter assault

Answer 15

• Canter analysed 66 assault cases using smallest space analysis and found several similarities -> backs up interpersonal coherence

Question 16

Strength: Canter murder

Answer 16

• Canter analysed 120 murder cases and found the perpetrator’s home/ base was usually at the centre of several crime scenes in a circular pattern -> demonstrates circle theory is valid

Question 17

Weakness: data in system

Answer 17

• The data in the system is only as accurate as it has been input.
• Errors in the system/ profile will cause errors in solving cases
• Case of Rachel Nickel -> sticking too close to profile meant Colin Stagg got convicted as Robert Napper (the perpetrator) was ruled out for being too tall.

Question 18

Weakness: Copson

Answer 18

• Interviewed police about using offender profiles
• 83% said they were useful
  BUT
• Only 3% led to correct identification of the perpetrator.

Question 19

What are the similarities between the top down and bottom up approaches?

Answer 19

• Both are used to narrow the field of suspects
• They both assume that there is a pattern in the offender’s behaviour, which is not always the case
• Both have captured the public’s imagination