A CHICAGO police superintendent called for a new classification of murders to prevent an embarrassing surge in crime statistics after six people were murdered in the city yesterday.

Supt Jody Weis created a new category, "indoor homicides", those that occur inside a home, and asked the Chicago Police Department to record "indoor" and "outdoor" homicides in separate categories, The Chicago Sun Times reported today.

Supt Weis defended this distinction, saying that police are less able to prevent crime that occurs inside a person's home.

"Those homicides that are outdoors - the ones that I do believe we have a good possibility of preventing - we’re around 98 homicides for Chicago outdoors," he said.

"When it’s inside a house, it’s hard for police to have an impact on that. I wish we could. I just don’t see where we can.”

Neighbourhood leaders criticised Supt Weis' move and claimed Chicago police were not taking responsibility for the safety of the community.

It’s “not helpful” for Supt Weis to “make those kinds of distinctions” between indoor and outdoor homicides, said Reverend Marshall Hatch, chairman of the Leaders Network, who pastors a Chicago area church.

“Whether the murders happen inside or outside, we expect the police to take responsibility for solving and preventing crime,” Rev Hatch said.

