Predictive Policing: Review of Benefits and Drawbacks

Albert Meijer and Martijn Wessels

International Journal of Public Administration, 2019, vol. 42, issue 12, 1031-1039

Abstract: This literature review illuminates the conceptualization of predictive policing, and also its potential and realized benefits and drawbacks. The review shows a discrepancy between the considerable attention for potential benefits and drawbacks of predictive policing in the literature, and the empirical evidence that is available. The empirical evidence provides little support for the claimed benefits of predictive policing. Whereas some empirical studies conclude that predictive policing strategies lead to a decrease in crime, others find no effect. At the same time, there is no empirical evidence at all for the claimed drawbacks. We conclude that the current thrust of predictive policing initiatives is based on convincing arguments and anecdotal evidence rather than on systematic empirical research. We urge the research community to do independent tests of both positive and negative expectations to generate an evidence base for predictive policing.

Date: 2019
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/01900692.2019.1575664 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:lpadxx:v:42:y:2019:i:12:p:1031-1039

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/lpad20

DOI: 10.1080/01900692.2019.1575664

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Public Administration is currently edited by Ali Farazmand

More articles in International Journal of Public Administration from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().