Dimensionality Analysis as a Computerized Tool for Strategic Planning in Policing and Security

Abstract

Multidimensional scaling is a useful addition to the toolkit of the crime or security analysts, made possible by the advent of desktop computing power. Three uses of this graphical statistical tool are as follows: (a) forming policy initiatives and making resource allocations; (b) analyzing terrorism threats and dynamics; and (c) performing structural analysis of performance data. Dimensionality analysis is compared with more commonly encountered techniques such as factor analysis, cluster analysis, and correspondence analysis, and their relative merits discussed. Data used to illustrate dimensionality analysis are drawn from the crime statistics on US cities, terrorism incidents in Israel, and performance indicators for American police departments, but the methods presented are broadly applicable to a wide variety of policing and security issues and the same principles apply to other forms of data.