Tag Archives: Birmingham Datablog

What data does the Fire Service collect? Notes from a datablog meetup

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Cat stuck up a tree

Image by Jonas Lowgren

On February 28 the Birmingham Datablog Meetup hosted a visit from Vikki Holland and Debbie Whittingham from the West Midlands Fire Service. They answered questions on how the Service uses data in both fire prevention and monitoring its activities. Here is a summary of the meetup.

The Fire Service are one of the most advanced users of data in the public sector. With much of their work centred on fire prevention, they draw on a range of data sources to identify and prioritise different risks in different communities. Continue reading →

Understanding probation and justice data – notes from a @bhamdatablog meetup

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At a recent Birmingham Datablog meetup we hosted probation data analyst Jason Davies, who very generously spent time highlighting the mistakes that journalists should avoid in reporting the justice system, and useful resources for finding both data and context on crime and justice.

Jason began by making an important distinction between crime data and justice data. Crime data is typically handled by individual police forces and the Home Office.

Once someone is charged, however, they enter the justice system. Information about what happens next – in the courts, the prisons, community service and on probation – is handled by the Ministry of Justice and other related bodies. Continue reading →