SentrySIS, the UK’s leading crime intelligence platform for business crime have this week released information on its new P.O.L.E data modelling application called Kaleidoscope which is due for administrator launch over the coming weeks.
What is a P.O.L.E data model?
A P.O.L.E data model focuses on four basic types of entities or objects and identifies relationships between them. P.O.L.E is an abbreviation of Persons, Objects, Locations, and Events. In relation to SentrySIS, Kaleidoscope uses Profiles (persons), Objects (Vehicles), Locations (Members) and Events (incidents) to identify relationships between each of the four categories.
Each category is associated with each other in a number of different ways. For example, Profiles (persons) are linked with Objects (Vehicles), Locations (Members) and Events (incidents). Objects (Vehicles) are used in Events (incidents) and Events (incidents) occur at Locations (Members).
The below diagram highlights how each entity is linked.
How can the Kaleidoscope be used?
The P.O.L.E data model is a standard approach used in policing, investigative and security use cases. This can also be applied to BCRPs when there is a need to interrogate large datasets for intelligence. The benefit of using such as tool is that the algorithm can cross-examine data at multiple levels and present possible associations between each of the variables the naked eye might not necessarily be able to identify.
Using the Kaleidoscope technology, is the perfect way to probe SentrySIS-based data, that is highly connected and presented in real time. By incorporating an intuitive graphical interface, helps administrators and the police to be proactive in their investigations to help prevent crime and other incidents, rather than simply being reactive after an incident has occurred.
Kaleidoscope also generates insights into patterns of behaviour, serious organised crime teams and crime connections which can inform new approaches and enable a more targeted use of limited resources.
This technology is already used across a variety of industries to date with the most notable case being The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and their recent probe into detecting fraud and corruption in the famous Panama and Paradise Papers scandal.
Kaleidoscope can be used for effectively guarding national retailers, identifying possible serious organised crime teams and their networks and uncovering scams and trends, as it’s a powerful enabler for getting the ‘bigger picture’ of crime.
How does Kaleidoscope work?
The idea behind Kaleidoscope is primarily based on who knows who and what relationships do they share?
If person X has come to the attention of the BCRP admins for whatever reason, then who else in person X’s network might be worth keeping an eye on? Perhaps they are sharing a known vehicle to commit crime? Or they mainly offend at a certain member location. These questions can be answered through a few clicks of the mouse where relationships are displayed, highlighting crime related connections with other offenders, vehicles and member locations.
For example, Person X and Person Y might not necessarily conduct crime together, but might share a common vehicle used to commit criminal acts. If this is the case, it’s likely they are part of the same crime group or share some mutual relationships. BCRP admins and the police can choose to run even deeper search parameters (levels) to interrogate the datasets even further to produce even more wide-spread connections.
What benefit does Kaleidoscope provide?
Kaleidoscope presents data in a visual front end so that intelligence is very easily viewed and connections observed. Users also have a number of simple options to filter the data across a range of statistical parameters making it even easier to identify possible connections between each category.
SentrySIS crime data underpinned by the algorithm used within the Kaleidoscope application is a powerful combination as it enables data-driven investigations and comprehensive decision making to occur based on facts. This not only helps identify links and relationships that wouldn't otherwise have been identified by a human, it enables police forces, BCRP admins and security companies to intelligently maximise their ‘budget constrained’ resources despite an ever-evolving crime landscape.
BCRP admins can use Kaleidoscope to really interrogate their datasets and share any finding with their local police contacts or use internally as part of any intelligence gathering they may be conducting at the time. This intelligence also becomes useful when disseminating information to their wider partnership members.
Who is Kaleidoscope available to?
The Kaleidoscope P.O.L.E analyser will be available to BCRP administrators and Police customers of SentrySIS.
To find out more about the SentrySIS Kaleidoscope application and how it can add value to your crime partnership or police business crime reduction operation, please contact us here for a demonstration of the software.