CURTAIN-twitchers everywhere will be pleased to see they can now check out how many crimes have happened in their neighbourhood.

The Government’s much-heralded crime maps give householders knowledge of local violence, antisocial behaviour and burglaries at the click of a button.

But while knowledge is inevitably power, this new project should come with a giant disclaimer.

Police are often criticised for their lack of openness and transparency – and by making this information available they have rightly empowered Oxford folk to make up their own minds about crime.

However, figures on their own are useless without the knowledge to help interpret them.

Before we make up our minds, we must be confident we understand what we are forming our opinions on.