Technology and equipment

INNOVATION: Resource pressures, heavy workloads and improving service delivery are among drivers for policing to adopt machine learning algorithms to increase capacity and capability; but Research Fellow Hazel Sayer, machine learning specialist Dr Tamara Polajnar and Senior Research Fellow Dr Ruth Spence warn that key stakeholders need to be involved in determining the problem to be addressed, whether the algorithm is the right solution, and whether the force has the capacity to develop the technology and respond to its output.

INTERVIEW: In this first in a two-part interview, City of London Police Temporary Commissioner Peter O’Doherty spoke to Policing Insight’s James Sweetland about the unique challenges of policing London’s Square Mile, efforts to rebuild trust and confidence with the public, and his personal reflections on taking over a major force for the first time.

ANALYSIS: With law enforcement approaches in various jurisdictions encountering both common and unique challenges, efforts to reform policing models have taken different forms and have had varying levels of success; Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood compares and contrasts the main reform efforts in Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the UK and the US over the past decade, exploring the successes and highlighting where more needs to be done.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: This global webinar series, organised by PolicingTV and Policing Insight, will bring together from the law enforcement community and the wider criminal justice system, leaders, technologists, academics, and suppliers to consider the opportunities, and risks posed by AI. Register now for for this insightful series running in May.

INTERVIEW: Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye spoke to Policing Insight’s James Sweetland about the abuse he’s suffered during his first term – including a shocking threat to his life that made him question whether to continue as a PCC at all – and his desire to help the force reach its full potential.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: When Italy's Carabinieri needed to modernise and upgrade 114 major control rooms and 400 smaller control rooms across the country, NICE Inform was the only solution they and their project partners Recording Enterprise Solutions could trust with a project of this scale and complexity.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Milipol Asia-Pacific and HTX’s TechX Summit have come together to showcase how science and technology is central to enhancing public safety and national security in the Asia Pacific. This landmark event will bring together top Government officials, operational experts, industry leaders and academia to discuss the latest solutions, strategies and challenges; share technological trends; and foster greater collaboration within the international Homeland Security community.

FEATURE: In the first in a series of white papers and articles exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in policing, AI expert Chief Philip Lukens looks at how body-worn cameras using elements of AI – such as natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning – can be used to extract, classify, and summarize key information from police encounters with the public, with a view to improving public confidence and trust.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Defined as a tactic that uses advanced analytics for proactive crime prevention and supporting investigations, predictive policing identifies intervention targets, solves past crimes, and makes effective crime prevention policies. Due to the adoption of knowledge graph databases and their rigorous nature, such analysis is starting to become commonplace.

INTERVIEW: Channel 4’s To Catch a Copper series revealed shocking incidents of misconduct in Avon and Somerset Police; in a two-part interview with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, Chief Constable Sarah Crew talks about why she let the cameras in, footage of misconduct by officers that left her feeling “horrified” and “exhausted”, and her views about institutional racism.

FEATURE: The potential of technological advances to transform policing has generated enormous excitement across the sector; but while many in law enforcement are aware of the opportunities offered, much less attention has been paid to the fundamentals needed to actually deliver this kind of tech-driven policing, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland explains.

FEATURE: A three-month facial recognition trial in Southampton has seen door staff equipped with body-worn cameras to check pub and club goers against a database of excluded offenders; the success of the scheme – described as the first of its kind in the country – has led to suggestions that it could be extended to other areas, as well as to other situations such as preventing those with football banning orders from attending matches, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

OPINION: When a social media post earlier this month announced Met Police Commander Karen Findlay as the new Assistant Chief Constable of the British Transport Police, the response included a barrage of misogynistic and homophobic comments that drew strong criticism from the leaders of both forces and many other senior officers; former police officer Oliver Laurence, now host of the Protect and Serve podcast, believes more could and should be done to protect officers from online abuse.

FEATURE: A recent report from the European Commission into the implementation of the Terrorist Content Online (TCO) Regulation has found that EU member states are making good use of the tool, with around 350 orders issued by authorities to service providers to remove online terrorist content, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

FEATURE: A Metropolitan Police initiative which uses a digital triage approach to identify and maximise the potential of digital evidence in stalking, domestic abuse and sexual offences cases has led to investigation times cut by 75% and a 96% conviction rate for cases going to court – prompting calls for the same approach to be used more widely, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Body cameras have been used in UK policing for nearly two decades, having developed from a small 2005 trial in Devon and Cornwall into a standard tool for officers in the UK and across the world; Stuart Boutell, Director of Evidence Product Management at Motorola Solutions, spoke to Policing Insight about why body cameras are increasingly important and what their new V500 camera can do to help frontline officers, as James Sweetland reports.

INTERVIEW: In the second part of Policing Insight’s exclusive interview with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council robotic process automation (RPA) lead Gillian Routledge, she spoke to James Sweetland about why she was so keen to take on this role, how she thinks RPA is perceived by those inside policing, and what it takes to actually implement these tools within forces.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: As one of seven Service Lines in the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Advisor’s Science and Technology Strategy, data analytics is playing an increasingly prominent role in police forces around the world. But how is it being applied to enable actionable decisions that improve policing outcomes across England and Wales?

FEATURE: Comments and experiences of the criminal justice system shared by the families of murder victims highlighted some harrowing ordeals; now a new analysis of their stories using an AI-based methodology developed by Professor Jonathan Crego has highlighted key themes and opportunities for greater support and dignity, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Law enforcement is increasingly looking to new technology – particularly surveillance cameras, artificial intelligence and facial recognition – in the fight against crime; but Dr Joanna Pozzulo, Chancellor’s Professor at Canada’s Carleton University, argues that legislation must keep up to protect people’s rights and privacy, along with greater public transparency and more research into the impact of technology on the criminal justice system.

FEATURE: Further progress was made recently on laying the groundwork for the European Union’s AI Act, legislation that is due to come into place next year and is being watched by politicians, suppliers, campaign groups and police; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the latest developments in the progress of the Act, and the implications for law enforcement in the UK and more widely.

INTERVIEW: Former national police lead for child protection Simon Bailey tells Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass how technological advances and chief executives focusing on profit are making it harder to keep young people safe online, and why he has founded the Excellence in Online Protection Awards to honour those working in the field.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Debbie Kettle talks about the collaboration and research that has underlined the importance of multi-agency cohesion in providing adequate and efficient victim support.

FEATURE: The early findings of a joint inspection by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and HM Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services into case building by police and the CPS has found bureaucratic processes and IT challenges as well as an inexperienced workforce are creating barriers and tensions between the two organisations – but the closer working relationships of specialist teams could bring real benefits, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.