SECOND WORKSHOP ON ANALYSIS AND MODELING OF SECURITY - WAMOS 2012

With the purpose of bringing closer together quantitative methods to problems in the area of crime and security, the Second Workshop on Analysis and Modeling of Security, WAMOS 2012, will be held next January 19th and 20th.  The Workshop will touch on research in quantitative methods for the analysis and management of law enforcement, crime modeling as well as on descriptive approaches to current practices in crime and security.

The keynote lectures will be given by Wim Bernasco (Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Netherlands); Patricia Brantingham (Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies, Simon Fraser University); Richard Wortley (Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science, University College London) and Carlos Carcach (Center for Public Policy , Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios).  The workshop will also count with the participation of representatives from Carabineros de Chile (Chilean Police), Gendarmería de Chile (Chilean Prison Service) and the Policía de Investigaciones (Chilean Bureau of Investigation).

Wamos 2012 is part of the activities within the Anillo Research Project (ACT-087) financed by the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research, Conicyt.

The Workshop, organized by the Center for Analysis and Modeling of Security (CEAMOS), will take place at the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Universidad de Chile.  There is no cost for participation but attendees must register for the conference. For a detailed program and registration please see the webpage.

Further details at: www.ceamos.cl/ceamos/wamos2012

The Center for Analysis and Modeling of Security, CEAMOS, and Gendarmerie of Chile, GENCHI, organized the “Research in Quantitative Methods for the Penitentiary System Encounter” held on Thursday 3^rd, November, within the framework of the Agreement subscribed last April among these organizations. The aim was to show the advances of the joint work, and to analyze experiences learned.

Both the equipment of CEAMOS’ researchers, working in specific subjects regarding the management of the penitentiary system, and the Department of Studies of GENCHI were at the time. They presented relevant aspects on the magnitude and operation of the various penal units from the country.

Luis Masferrer, Gendarmerie Director said “we are reviewing today the advances in the different thematic areas that were the subject of the agreement”, adding “it is very important for us to advance together with CEAMOS in these matters, quantitative modeling of systems allow us to professionalize the work and help to make the best decisions”.

Masferrer emphasized they are convinced that concerning decisions of penitentiary policy, it is significant to measure the impact of what is made, “what is not measured does not exist”, said.

The vice director of CEAMOS, José Miguel Benavente, participated at the International Conference “Neighborhood Violence in Latin America, its determinants and intervention policies”, held last October 5^th and 6^th at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Chile.

His talk called “Identifying the determinants of crime occurrence and the deterring impact of police: Evidence across Chilean households”, was given as part of the working group on Felony, Violence and the Role of the Police.

The program included around 40 unpublished papers and 3 lectures by Professor Desmond Arias from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, USA); Professor Claudio Beato from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte, Brasil); and the Architect Christian Beros, specialist on analysis and spatial syntax for urban renewal and the design of public spaces, current resident in Bucharest, Romania.

The event was organized by the Centre of Studies on Citizen Security which belongs to the University of Chile.

Continuing the 2nd Brown Bag Seminar 2011 talks, Víctor Bucarey, research assistant of CEAMOS, presented the “Design Model for Carabineros’ (Chilean Police) Plan Cuadrante”.

Bucarey presented a methodology based on localization models, for the design of Plan Cuadrante of Preventive Security. The Plan Cuadrante (or quadrant plan) aims for improved efficiency in the allocation of police resources to an area, as well as an increased fairness in the coverage, based on measures created by the Police Force.  The model presented investigates the impact of quadrant shape on these objectives.

The talk took place between 12.30 and 2pm, in LMO Room, Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University ot Chile, last October 7th.

The Center for Analysis and Modeling of Security, CEAMOS, will be hosting the "Brown Bag Seminar 2011", starting september 23rd, with the Research Assistant Giorgiogiulio Parra's talk "Crime in Santiago".

Brown Bag Seminar, as elsewhere, is an informal seminar around noon, where the attendees bring their own lunch -a sandwich and refreshment.

Giorgiogiulio Parra will give details on how a dinamic model allows simulation of the interaction on different agents, adjusting their behavior patterns according to historical informations available, and allows estimating the police´s dissuasive effect or integral a wide range of control variables.

The event will take place at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences,University ot Chile, CMM's Seminar Room, located on Av. Blanco Encalada 2120, 7th floor, between 12:30 and 2pm.

A strong interest on the three talks given by members of the Center for Analysis and Modeling on Security, CEAMOS, showed the audience at the Seventh National Congress for Research on Violence and Crime, held on September 13th and 14th in Santiago, Chile.

The presentations were given by Sandra Astete, “Fear Index Construction and its Modeling”; Julio Aracena, “Spatiotemporal Study of Patterns for Crime Dynamics, using Discrete Mathematical Modeling”; and Oslando Padilla, "Bayesian Model for Recidivism”. CEAMOS’ researchers Richard Weber (deputy-Director) and Rolando de la Cruz, also participated as chairman of sessions, during the morning of Tuesday 13th.

Sandra Astente dialogues with the attendees, during the morning section moderated by Richard Weber.

The event was also convened by the Sociology Institute, Catholic University of Chile; Faculty of Law, Diego Portales University; Alberto Hurtado University; School of Government, Adolfo Ibáñez University; Center for Studies on Security (CESC) University of Chile; Government Faculty, University of Development; and Paz Ciudadana Foundation (main organizer).

Topics of the meeting dealt with penitentiary studies, intimate partner violence, drug-related crime, drug abuse, juvenile justice, burglars, cyberbullying, local prevention, among others.

Presentations are all available at Paz Ciudadana web site.

In full agreement with the proposed target, that is, to identify the main research and joint work challenges, ended the Third Meeting on Quantitative Methods in Security, held last August 12th.

Colonel Gonzalo Blu, Director of the Police Science Academy, closing the event, said that security is a crucial issue, and that for this reason they signed a Collaboration Agreement with the Center for Analysis and Modeling of Security, last July 22^nd. "This is our first joint action; I think it is important and significant what students from both institutions are doing. This should lead to a joint work”.

Blu made a special reference of the last presentation, "A methodology for the design of Plan Cuadrante Security Plan" by Victor Bucarey from CEAMOS, that received significant attention from students of the Police Academy and triggered an interesting debate. "This discussion demonstrated that there exist different criteria, positions and points of view, but finally all can lead to good results. Nobody is 100% right, I believe that mathematics, economics, are sciences able to help us, "said Blu.

Blu announced that next Friday August 19^th, both institutions will meet again, in order to address specific issues.

The meeting, part of CONICYT’s Anillo Project ACT087 activities, was organized by CEAMOS and ACIPOL. The presenters were Research Assistants belonging to the first organization, and students of Engineering on Criminal Investigation from the Academy.

The event was headed by Raúl Manasevich and Richard Weber, Director and Sub-Director of CEAMOS, respectively, and Col. Gonzalo Blu and Lt. Col. Rafael Rojas, Director and Sub-Director of the Police Science Academy.

The Center for Analysis and Modeling of Security, CEAMOS and the Academy of Police Sciences, ACIPOL, will hold the Third Meeting on Quantitative Methods in Security, next August 12th.

This is the third research meeting of the Anillo Research Project (ACT087), where CEAMOS’ Research Assistants will present their work on specific issues in security, from different perspectives.

This time the fifth year students of Engineering on Criminal Investigation from the Academy of Police Sciences will also participate by presenting their analysis issues and developments.

The meeting will take place from 9 am to 6 pm in ACIPOL’s Campus, and aims to identify the main challenges of the respective research and joint work.

Program

• Through the joint work of CEAMOS and the Chilean Police Force (Carabineros de Chile), scientific methodologies are to be used in the modeling of criminal behavior. Significant progress in public safety is expected.
• During the second week of August a workshop between CEAMOS and the Academy of Police Sciences will be held. They will present advances in their respective subjects, in order to creating synergies for collaboration between these institutions.

A Cooperation Agreement was signed last July 22nd, between the Center for Analysis and Modeling of Security, CEAMOS, and the Chilean Police Force (Carabineros de Chile), in the Academy of Police Sciences belonging to this last organization.

The agreement aims to establishing a strategic cooperation that enables joint working lines. The collaboration will take the form of studies, projects and undergraduate and graduate theses, helping thus the Police functions of law enforcement and guaranteeing public order and security.

Left to right: Raúl Manasevich, CEAMOS Director; General Claudio Veloso; Andrés Weintraub, ISCI Director; Inspector General Patricio Reyes, National Director of Personnel, Carabineros.

The Center for Security Analysis and Modeling (CEAMOS), associated with Centre Complex Engineering Systems Institute (ISCI), offered on Friday, June 24th presentation "Viewing a marked space and patterns of origin and destination point linked to dynamic windows" .

The presentation was by Professor Renato Assunção. Prof. Assunção is Professor of Statistics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and member of the Center for the Study of Public Criminalidade e Segurança (CRISP) of the UFMG.

During the exhibition, prof. Assunção introduced a software called MaPPEA and the methodology employed to design this software. MaPPEA (Marked Point Processes Exploratory Analysis, in English) is a set of interactive tools for exploratory analysis graph data of various types of spatial marked point processes using dynamically linked graphics. One application of this tool has to do with the origin-destination auto theft. Can be displayed graphically whether a relationship exists between where a car was stolen and where it was found.