Analysis: The new Strategic Principles for Police ICT make good common sense, and are hard to argue against. We can all agree on the importance of interoperability, good management of data, user-friendliness, and the ability to switch across different platforms. Efficiency, effectiveness; a rounded view of value for money; future proofing: what’s not to like? Yet the principles also present challenges, and following them will not be straightforward, explains former Greater Manchester Police ACC Ian Wiggett.
Opinion: Hosted by the Police ICT Company, the National Police Technology Council and Cityforum, the third annual Digital Policing Summit gathered technology and security professionals, police policymakers and government representatives to discuss the digital challenges, changes and opportunities faced by UK police in 2017. Thomas Drohan, Commercial Director for Clue, outlines five critical issues raised by the event.
OPINION: A form of predictive policing, the Suspect Targeting Management Plan, has been in operation in Australia for 17 years. Dr Vicki Sentas of the University of New South Wales warns that the programme is racialised, targeted overwhelmingly at young people, and damaging and disruptive to their lives.
ANALYSIS: A recent study of the police’s use of data has found that UK police forces had access to a vast amount of digital data, but lacked the technological capability to use it effectively. Alexander Babuta of the Royal United Services Institute explores the opportunities presented by big data policing technologies, and the organisational barriers that must be overcome to make effective use of them.
Analysis: With forces exhibiting an increasing appetite to share data, the Police Foundation recently held the second in a series of policy dinners in partnership with KPMG to examine the issue in greater depth. Attended by key stakeholders and academics, the meeting explored how data-sharing can be improved. Liz Crowhurst, former Policy Officer at the Police Foundation, summarises the main findings in a policy document.
Analysis: With the ever-present pressures on police resources and the need for chiefs and forces to be doing as much (if not more) with less, the appeal of data analytics and predictive policing is stronger than ever.
OPINION: A recent Accenture survey of 165 technology leaders within police, justice and intelligence agencies found that financial constraints, increased citizen expectations, and the need to modernise operations are driving the increasing use of digital technologies. James Slessor of Accenture unpacks the results of the survey, and outlines some of the groundbreaking directions public safety agencies are exploring.
