Case Study: Western Australia Police achieves crime and workforce forecasts within 1.5% with SAS Analytics

Analytical forecasts show police force where, how to allocate officers

Western Australia Police, which covers 2.5 million km² and nearly 4,000 officers, needed more accurate forecasting to place officers where and when demand is highest. Director Shaun Hodges prioritized intelligence‑driven policing to predict both crime and workforce availability, after earlier forecasts showed 10–15% error partly due to delays in reporting.

By using SAS Analytics for forecasting, mapping and data integration—linking crime reports, vehicle data and thermal maps—the force reduced forecast error to about 1.5% and now targets resources (for example, breath‑testing campaigns) more effectively. Better data submission and analytics have improved deployment decisions and policing outcomes, with ongoing work to identify lead indicators that drive crime.

Western Australia Police

Shaun Hodges

Director of Strategy and Performance