Innovation

INNOVATION: A start-up project pioneered by four UK universities is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify patterns of tech-facilitated coercive control sent by perpetrators through text messages; researchers believe the project, which recently received a £115,000 funding boost from the Home Office, could develop an AI tool that will encourage more victims of domestic abuse and coercive control to come forward, reports Policing Insight’s Keith Potter.

FEATURE: At last month’s Police Digital Summit in the UK, a panel of police, tech specialists and criminal justice stakeholders discussed how technology could help to meet the challenges of rape and serious sexual offences, and violence against women and girls; techUK’s Georgie Henley, who chaired the panel, highlights some of the key points from the discussion, and the collaborative approaches that can ensure improved responses in the future.

INNOVATION: With UK police forces looking increasingly to digital channels to expand and enhance public contact and service delivery, Suffolk Assistant Chief Constable Rob Jones shares an innovative project offering a live chat service for victims of domestic abuse that has improved accessibility and consistency, strengthened support and generated the potential for richer evidence to support prosecutions.

FEATURE: Following the mass shooting in Munich in 2016 in which nine people died and thirty six were injured, the Bavarian Police began to examine ways of enhancing their digital radio communications to include visual information.

FEATURE: Family violence, bullying, social anxiety and Covid are just some of the factors contributing to a significant truancy problem in New Zealand; the NZ Police Association recently reported on a joint operation that has seen a simple knock on the front door of houses reopening the doors to education for hundreds of children in South Auckland.

INNOVATION: With the continuing proliferation of technology and digital innovation across society, Tom Weeks, Technical Director of Informed Solutions, explores the importance of data science, standards, and citizen trust as drivers for sustainable policing success in a rapidly evolving digital world.

INNOVATION: Having recognised the potential criminal threat from the use of drones, the INTERPOL Innovation Centre has now joined forces with law enforcement agencies across Europe to launch Project COURAGEOUS, an initiative to identify and assess the most effective technology to detect, track and intervene against illicit drones, as Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth reports.

FEATURE: A new report from the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has called for more governance and scrutiny of technology in the UK justice system, amid concerns that the lack of standards and transparency over the police use of artificial intelligence threatens human rights and civil liberties, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

INNOVATION: More than 90% of UK police forces are now looking to invest in cloud infrastructure and technologies; but as well as delivering security and improved flexibility, the move to the cloud is also driving greater equality and sustainability, as Chris Oldham, Head of UK Public Sector for Citrix, explained in this article for Emerging Tech in Policing Week.

INNOVATION: Virtual and augmented reality immersive technologies could provide valuable insights for police officers in both training and real-world scenarios; in the second in a series of articles from Emerging Tech in Policing Week, Stergios Aidinlis, Research Analyst at Trilateral Research, explores some of the potential benefits and the challenges of using this new technology.

INNOVATION: Artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning offer significant opportunities for improving performance in policing; but in this first in a series of articles from Emerging Tech in Policing Week, Matthew Cheesman, Technology Consulting Manager for Accenture, argues that the key to their successful adoption and implementation will be ethics, transparency and governance.

FEATURE: The burden of mental health callouts on police across New Zealand could be significantly reduced if a multi-agency response model that has proven successful during trials in Wellington is approved – and funded – for use across all Police districts, as Ellen Brook of the New Zealand Police Association explains.

FEATURE: The recently published UK Government Cyber Security Strategy highlights the need for the public sector to defend against ‘relentless’ attacks from an ‘ever-expanding array’ of adversaries, and commits the Government to local and international collaboration as well as promoting careers in public sector cyber security, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With the Russian invasion of Ukraine once again highlighting the key role that social media and digital communications play in international state actions and legitimacy, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at a new European research project on the impact of online networks on politics and democracy, which could have significant implications for policing and the rule of law.

FEATURE: KOPS – Keeping Our People Supported – is a new app launched by An Garda Síochána to provide around-the-clock support for officers and staff as well as the wider force family; Alison Keogh of the force’s Strategic Transformation Office talked to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the importance of making advice and support services accessible, anonymous, and relevant to a wide range of issues.

FEATURE: A Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) was used by ACT officers in Canberra last week as part of the policing operation dealing with vaccine mandate protests, prompting a range of concerns and claims about the damage done by the device; composer, artist and sonic expert Lawrence English, a Research Fellow at Queensland’s Griffith University, explains the workings and limitations of LRADs.

INNOVATION: A new DNA technique being pioneered by the Australian Federal Police uses Massively Parallel Sequencing to predict gender, age, eye colour, hair colour and bio-geographical ancestry – with new markers being identified for traits such as facial metrics or physical stature – in a breakthrough that could help investigators identify human remains as well as potential suspects, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: The latest cybersecurity research and innovation opportunities published under the Horizon Europe programme offer police forces the chance to improve operational cyber monitoring and threat detection; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the opportunities available, and encourages UK forces to make the most of the funding available to strengthen security and detection through collaboration with EU partners.

FEATURE: The use of learning analytics to measure, collect and analyse data from police learners – with a view to optimising programmes and improving the development environment – could revolutionise policing learning, as Dr Matthew Jones and Prof Bart Rienties of the Open University explain in this latest in a series of articles on police CPD.

INNOVATION: Four years ago Dubai Police launched its first Smart Police Station (SPS) driven by artificial intelligence (AI), as part of the force’s wider Strategic Plan for the use of AI: Dr Jorge Román and Khalifa Al Room of Dubai Police explain the reasoning behind the development of the SPS, how it works, and the impact it has already had on interaction between the police and the community.

INNOVATION: Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to revolutionise identification processes for law enforcement; but if they are to be reliable and trusted, those commissioning their use must ensure concerns around gender dimension bias have been addressed from the outset, says Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth.

INNOVATION: Investigating domestic abuse takes up a significant proportion of police time and resources, yet successful prosecutions and criminal convictions remain at an unacceptably low level; Simon Franc, Founder and CEO of Anatomap, believes a new free app can empower victims of domestic abuse and other violent offences to improve the quality of evidence in such cases, leading to better outcomes for both victims and police.

OPINION: While there was a familiar ring to much of the UK Government’s recently unveiled ‘Beating Crime Plan’, continuing pressure on resources (both human financial) means delivering a new-look local policing approach is still a major challenge; Steve Ainsworth, Executive Director of NEC Software Solutions UK, believes technology can lead to more effective targeting of offences and offenders, and give young-in-service officers the vital knowledge they need to succeed.

INNOVATION: With pressure on police call handlers back up to levels not seen for many years, Steve Little from Frazer-Nash Consultancy assesses the options facing police leaders: either keep recruiting more staff in an ‘arms race’ that they can never win, or follow other sectors and turn to AI solutions that will deliver an automated experience for the citizen.