Innovation

FEATURE: The EU’s Terrorist Content Online Regulation came into effect in June 2022, and included a requirement for media platforms and host service providers (HSPs) to take down terrorist content within an hour of receiving a removal order from a ‘competent authority’; but a new report suggests that a lack of technical expertise and awareness leaves many smaller HSPs struggling to comply with the Regulation, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens compares and contrasts the use of AI drones as patrol tools and first responders with the traditional role of patrol cars, and explores the key issues around privacy, accountability and oversight.

INTERVIEW: Policing Insight’s recent ‘Facing the future: the rise of facial recognition in policing’ report drew on 34 interviews with operational leaders and experts to examine how police use facial recognition (FR) around the world, and the key debates about the technology; as part of that project, James Sweetland interviewed Dr Nessa Lynch, Matheson Lecturer in Law, Innovation and Technology at University College Cork, about the risk and regulation of FR – and in this article, we share more from that insightful conversation.

FEATURE: Ongoing research by Anglia Ruskin University’s International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI) has highlighted the gap in support for families of suspects of online child sexual abuse, and vital role played by Indirect Victim Support Officers both in providing guidance and assistance for those families, and relieving the burden on officers investigating the case, as IPPPRI Associate Professor Dr Theresa Redmond explains.

INNOVATION: Social media contacts with police forces soared during the disorder in England and Northern Ireland in the summer of 2024; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass looks at the role digi desks played during the crisis, and examines how useful they are for day-to-day operations.

FEATURE: A new report from Europol sets out how artificial intelligence (AI) could “significantly transform policing”, with tools such as generative AI offering a “treasure trove of possibilities” for law enforcement; but the report also highlights the profound risks around AI systems embedding “longstanding societal biases”, and the important restrictions coming into force via the landmark EU AI Act passed earlier this year, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports. 

INNOVATION: A youth-focused custody suite introduced by Cleveland Police provides separate facilities for young offenders away from potentially damaging influences of adult suspects, and the opportunity to talk to Youth Justice Service ‘custody navigators’ offering engagement and immediate support, in an initiative which is already attracting interest from other forces, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: An artificial intelligence-powered knife database, created through a collaboration between the Metropolitan Police and Surrey University, is enabling officers to match dangerous weapons using images taken in often dark and difficult conditions; a dashboard explaining how the knife recognition system works could soon be rolled out nationwide, as the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser reports.

FEATURE: After its introduction by Humberside Police, the mental health policing approach Right Care, Right Person has been rolled out nationally in England and Wales; but a new announcement from New Zealand Police – a four-phase plan to reduce mental health demand on frontline officers and encourage health partners to take more of a lead – suggests it’s changing international practice too, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

INTERVIEW: With growing recognition of the potential law enforcement benefits of police partnerships with academia, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth spoke to Prof Babak Akhgar (Director) and Prof Saskia Bayerl (Head of Research) at Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC) about working with policing, the benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence, and encouraging officers to be innovative.

ANALYSIS: The work of the West Midlands Police Data Ethics Committee has been recognised as pioneering in England and Wales, but until now the impact of its activities had not been fully assessed; Northumbria University Professor Marion Oswald, Senior Research Associate at the Alan Turing Institute and Chair of the Committee, outlines the findings of a new report which evaluates that activity, and suggests steps to improve outcomes both for the West Midlands Police and other forces looking to follow suit.

FEATURE: In the wake of the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police Officer, Bedfordshire Police launched its Blue Bell network to support victims and witnesses of sexual misconduct within the force, and empower officers and staff to speak out; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Bedfordshire Detective Chief Superintendent Zara Brown about the success of the initiative, tackling the “epidemic” of violence against women and girls, and the interest in the scheme from other forces and agencies.

INNOVATION: A new independent report shows that retail crime reporting platform Auror saved New Zealand Police nearly 170,000 hours of officer time over a 12-month period – but direct-to-police retail crime reporting systems are becoming more common all over the world, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explores the options and opportunities for introducing a risk matrix for AI policies in police departments that can ensure transparency, accountability, and public trust.

FEATURE: Last week’s Global Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) Conference, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, saw pioneers of the evidence-based approach gather in Melbourne to share insights and best practice, as well as signing a new memorandum of understanding between EBP societies in six countries that could lay the foundations for greater global collaboration and co-operation, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: Terrorist organisations are turning to small hosting service providers (HSPs) with less capacity and capability to prevent the spread of extremism on their platforms. Policing Insight's Andy Staniforth reports on TATE, an initiative specifically designed to help HSPs remove terrorist content quickly.

INNOVATION: New 360-degree camera technology is enabling jurors, lawyers and investigators to get a better, more immersive understanding of crime scenes, while also providing video tours with audio commentary to explain key locations of interest, as DC Simon Chamberlain explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INNOVATION: While artificial intelligence (AI) clearly offers significant opportunities for policing, it also comes with inherent risks and concerns; Dr Fatema Zaghloul, Lecturer in Business Analytics at the University of Bristol, and Justin Partridge, Postgraduate Researcher at Leeds University Business School, explore the benefits and challenges of AI in policing, and why it’s essential for policing to shape policies that promote transparency and responsible use of the new technology.

INNOVATION: A successful pilot project using artificial intelligence to support call handlers answering domestic abuse calls in Humberside Police – which increased both officer and public safety, improved evidence and reduced staff stress – could now be applied to other crime types within the force as well as being scaled up nationally, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: Advances in the application of artificial intelligence and other new technology have huge potential for transforming the criminal justice system in areas such as video redaction, risk assessment and forensic biotechnology; Simon Randall, CEO of privacy and security specialists Pimloc, explores some of those opportunities to increase effectiveness, as well as the challenges the new tech presents.

FEATURE: Crimes in the metaverse may be taking place in a virtual reality, but their impact can be felt in the real world; Griffith University Lecturer Dr Ausma Bernot, Lecturer Dr Kai Lin of the University of Technology Sydney, Charles Sturt University Lecturer Dr Milind Tiwari, and Assistant Lecturer You Zhou of Monash University, explore what ‘metacrimes’ are, and what steps can be taken to tackle them.

ANALYSIS: In the third in a series of four articles, Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood explores the issues around police leadership, why traditional approaches can lead to low morale and toxic work environments, and how adopting and implementing transformational leadership practices can deliver benefits for officers and the communities they serve.

INNOVATION: Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to have a major impact on the delivery of UK policing, and the environment necessary to encourage creativity and innovation that will make the best use of the technology.

INNOVATION: As advances in technology bring huge potential into forensic investigation, Shashi Angadi, Chief Technology Officer of data software specialists Exterro, explores the fascinating world of forensic science and how advanced software and tools are making crime-solving faster, more accurate, and much more collaborative.