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| Millions jam street-level crime map website | Millions jam street-level crime map website |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A new crime-mapping website for England and Wales is experiencing a "temporary problem" as millions of people log on every hour, the Home Office has said. | |
| Hundreds have contacted the BBC website to report problems accessing the site as officials worked to fix the glitch. | Hundreds have contacted the BBC website to report problems accessing the site as officials worked to fix the glitch. |
| The Home Office said www.police.uk was receiving up to five million hits an hour, or some 75,000 a minute. | The Home Office said www.police.uk was receiving up to five million hits an hour, or some 75,000 a minute. |
| The site allows you to see the offences reported in your local street by entering a street name or postcode. | The site allows you to see the offences reported in your local street by entering a street name or postcode. |
| Home Secretary Theresa May said the maps would give real facts on crime and anti-social behaviour and make police more accountable. | Home Secretary Theresa May said the maps would give real facts on crime and anti-social behaviour and make police more accountable. |
| 'Complete farce' | 'Complete farce' |
| In a message on the microblogging website Twitter, the Home Office said: "Hugely popular streetlevel crime maps getting 75,000 hits per minute so you might experience delays. Keep trying." | |
| Some users have reported seeing only a blank page when visiting the website, while others said after entering a postcode or street, a message came up saying "no police area is associated with this address". | |
| A spokesman for charity Victim Support said it was important that victims of crime had consented as to whether information about their incident was released. | A spokesman for charity Victim Support said it was important that victims of crime had consented as to whether information about their incident was released. |
| Meanwhile, Mrs May said she expected the public reaction to be positive and denied the information could increase fear or drive down house prices in some areas. | Meanwhile, Mrs May said she expected the public reaction to be positive and denied the information could increase fear or drive down house prices in some areas. |
| Visitors to www.police.uk, which cost £300,000 to develop, will be able to find out which crimes have taken place on or near their street within the past month and which officers are responsible for their area. | Visitors to www.police.uk, which cost £300,000 to develop, will be able to find out which crimes have taken place on or near their street within the past month and which officers are responsible for their area. |
| Information on crime is broken down into six categories - burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, violence, other crime and anti-social behaviour. Sex crimes have been included in the "other" category, along with crimes such as theft and shoplifting, to help prevent victims from being identified. | Information on crime is broken down into six categories - burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, violence, other crime and anti-social behaviour. Sex crimes have been included in the "other" category, along with crimes such as theft and shoplifting, to help prevent victims from being identified. |
| Local police appeals and details of police community meetings will also be published alongside the maps. | Local police appeals and details of police community meetings will also be published alongside the maps. |
| The Association of Police Authorities said the website was a "magnificent achievement". | |
| Deputy chairman Mark Burns Williamson said: "Crime mapping brings accountability to the armchair for everyone who wants to monitor crime on their street." | |
| Streets with fewer than 12 houses will only be included in a wider geographic area to prevent identification of victims. | Streets with fewer than 12 houses will only be included in a wider geographic area to prevent identification of victims. |
| According to the maps, parts of Preston, Swansea and Thurrock in Essex are among the most crime-ridden places in England and Wales. | |
| However, the inclusion of a "quiet street" as one of the most crime-ridden in the country has been criticised by the local council. | However, the inclusion of a "quiet street" as one of the most crime-ridden in the country has been criticised by the local council. |
| The crime maps show Surrey Street in Portsmouth, Hampshire, as having 136 crimes, including burglary, violence and anti-social behaviour in December. | The crime maps show Surrey Street in Portsmouth, Hampshire, as having 136 crimes, including burglary, violence and anti-social behaviour in December. |
| But the street, which is less than 100m long, is only home to a pub, a car park and a block of flats. | But the street, which is less than 100m long, is only home to a pub, a car park and a block of flats. |
| Councillor Eleanor Scott, who is responsible for community safety at Portsmouth City Council, said: "If Portsmouth is anything to go by, this website is a complete farce, it's identifying wrong crime epicentres and missing out crimes in other areas so you can't rely on it." | Councillor Eleanor Scott, who is responsible for community safety at Portsmouth City Council, said: "If Portsmouth is anything to go by, this website is a complete farce, it's identifying wrong crime epicentres and missing out crimes in other areas so you can't rely on it." |
| Ch Supt Nigel Hindle, commander of Portsmouth police, said the postcode of Surrey Street was used to record incidents of retail crime such as shoplifting from the adjacent commercial centre and violent crime from nearby bars and clubs. | Ch Supt Nigel Hindle, commander of Portsmouth police, said the postcode of Surrey Street was used to record incidents of retail crime such as shoplifting from the adjacent commercial centre and violent crime from nearby bars and clubs. |
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