Purpose and Privacy

Just a quick post today to introduce the important issue of privacy and the mapping of police data. This is where the importance of purpose is relevant. If the maps are for the purpose of police accountability, performance indicators and the like (ie political) then there is little justification to compromise individuals' privacy. If on the other hand the maps have a policing purpose like keeping people safe and crime prevention and investigation then there are plenty of precedents where privacy is trumped in the hierachy of priority.