Tracking violent crime - Australian Institute of Criminology

As well as Canada, ViCLAS has now been adopted by several areas of the United
States, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, England and Australia.
Although New Zealand may not adopt ViCLAS, they are examining methods to make
their systems compatible, to ensure information flow between our two countries.
HOW DOES ViCLAS WORK
ViCLAS works in a similar manner to ViCAP, but is more user friendly, as it runs in a
Windows environment.
Data is collected for specific violent crimes and entered onto the ViCLAS system.
The categories of crime include
• All solved or unsolved homicides and attempts;
• Solved or unsolved sexual assaults of a predatory nature;
• Unidentified dead bodies, where the manner of death is known or suspected to be
homicide;
• Outstanding missing persons - those still missing after sixty days or where the
circumstances of their disappearance is immediately suspicious.
• All non parental abductions and attempts; and
• Known or suspected false allegations of sexual assault.
ViCLAS requires a trained analyst to manipulate the data and come to a conclusion as
to whether cases are linked. The analysts then advise the appropriate investigators,
who liaise.
Training of the specialist analysts is vital. ViCLAS relies not only on the traditional
Modus Operandi (M.O) information but also on behavioural information from the
crime scene. The analysts will have to be able to differentiate between the M.O and
signature aspects of the crime and to understand this, will have to be trained in the
basic concepts of criminal investigative analysis.
The M.O. of a crime describes the way in which an offender carries out the crime. It is
learned behaviour that is developed over time and is dynamic. The M.O. may change
over time as the offender gains experience and confidence. An example of this is the
offender who breaks into a house through a window without wearing gloves. He may
be apprehended through fingerprint evidence and so the next time breaks into a house
through a window, but wears gloves.
The signature aspects of a crime are somewhat different. This is a unique and integral
part of the offender’s behaviour, which often goes beyond the actions needed to
commit the crime. The signature aspect of a crime often has it’s beginnings in the
offender’s fantasies, is related to his particular needs, and the theme generally remains
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