Friday, May 8, 2009

Systems Thinking and Intelligence Led Policing - Part 3

Here is a good example of systems thinking that certainly correlates to addressing crime problems using Intelligence Led Policing rather than traditional measures:

"Systems thinking is a perspective because it helps us see the events and patterns in our lives in a new light—and respond to them in higher leverage ways. For example, suppose a fire breaks out in your town. This is an event. If you respond to it simply by putting the fire out, you're reacting. (That is, you have done nothing to prevent new fires.) If you respond by putting out the fire and studying where fires tend to break out in your town, you'd be paying attention to patterns. For example, you might notice that certain neighborhoods seem to suffer more fires than others. If you locate more fire stations in those areas, you're adapting. (You still haven't done anything to prevent new fires.) Now suppose you look for the systems—such as smoke-detector distribution and building materials used—that influence the patterns of neighborhood-fire outbreaks. If you build new fire-alarm systems and establish fire and safety codes, you're creating change. Finally, you're doing something to prevent new fires!

This is why looking at the world through a systems thinking "lens" is so powerful: It lets you actually make the world a better place."
~http://www.pegasuscom.com/aboutst.html

More on this topic soon!

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