Surveillance technology

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FEATURE: Drones are increasingly a vital tool in policing, playing an important role in areas of search and surveillance; but with concerns highlighted around the manufacture of unmanned aircraft systems in China, and the increasing use of drones by criminal gangs, law enforcement must ensure that the risks around the procurement and deployment of drone and counter-drone technologies are acknowledged and understood, says Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Find out about the Axon Roadshow, coming to the UK for the first time, and Axon Innovate UK – our exciting events this September for those in public safety organisations. Learn more details and find registration links to secure your spot.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Learn how West Midlands Police, one of the largest police forces in the UK, invested in Axon’s advanced ecosystem of policing technology to create a more efficient, better-equipped force.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: There has been intense discussion about police use of facial recognition in recent years, with questions surrounding the ethics and practical implementation of Live Facial Recognition in public spaces. Ian Williams discusses how Motorola Solutions’ Pronto digital policing platform is leveraging other applications of facial recognition technology that address the interests of victims and the public at large.

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RESEARCH: The wealth of CCTV footage recorded in a wide range of public and private settings regularly forms vital evidence in court cases; but a new study of British murder investigations by Professor Fiona Brookman and Research Fellow Helen Jones of the University of South Wales suggests that issues around interpretation, availability and quality of CCTV represent challenges and risks that can make such evidence unreliable and problematic.

INNOVATION: A 12-month trial which allows officers from Queensland Police Service to use body-worn cameras to record interviews with domestic violence victims that can then be used as evidence-in-chief has been hailed a success for reducing the trauma experienced by victim-survivors and enabling officers to re-invest more time providing support, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: In his latest annual report the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (BSCC) – who regulates the way police use biometrics in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – challenges how policing is deploying facial recognition; a separate survey by the Office of the BSCC also raises major concerns that policing is “shot through” with Chinese surveillance tech, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

OPINION: The use of police body camera footage and surveillance video has proved crucial in prosecuting many court cases and highlighting criminal activity – including the recent death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis – but video evidence expert, Assistant Professor Sandra Ristovska, believes the way such videos are presented can have a significant impact on a jury’s perception of a case.

ANALYSIS: Police adoption of live facial recognition (LFR) is a controversial topic, with the profound opportunities offered by this technology balanced out by considerable risks. A recent report from Cambridge University’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy presents a highly critical view of how the police use LFR. In this article, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland presents both sides of the story.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The focus for this year’s National ANPR Conference, supported by media partner Policing Insight, will be on Innovation, and how the UK policing and law enforcement can work in partnership with the Home Office, with academia and with commercial suppliers to accelerate the pace of innovation by harnessing technology, data and our collective know how to evolve and transform in the application of ANPR for policing and law enforcement purposes. Register for the conference which will take place 28 to 29 November at the Jurys Inn Hinckley Island Hotel.

ANALYSIS: A recent research report into the police use of body-worn video, published by the University of Stirling and commissioned by Police Scotland, highlights the opportunities for the service to develop best practice incorporating the experience of other forces, and implement governance and accountability measures that will help to ensure public trust and confidence, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Known for its innovative approaches to policing, Northamptonshire Police is always seeking better ways to fight crime and protect people – so they turned to NICE Investigate for digital transformation. Because it sits on top of Northamptonshire Police's other digital evidence systems, NICE Investigate can automate the case building process by searching across connected data sources for evidence. As soon as investigators log in, their digital evidence is waiting in electronic case folders for them. NICE Investigate has also helped the force uncover new lines of enquiry and evidence for complex and serious crimes, which one detective inspector says is “real win-win.”

ANALYSIS: With the electronic communications landscape changing significantly and quickly, existing legislation covering law enforcement electronic surveillance has struggled to keep pace; Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf and specialist Jocelinn Kang, both of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, take a closer look at the country’s planned legislative reform around electronic surveillance, and why balancing security and liberty will be essential in any new law.

ANALYSIS: The introduction of body-worn cameras among US police forces and the subsequent improvement in evidential quality has helped to reduce the racial disparity in the response to complaints about police misconduct, according to new research by Professors Suat Cubukcu, Erdal Tekin, Nusret Sahin and Volkan Topalli.

OPINION: The rapid advance of biometric technology is generating new identification and surveillance opportunities for the police and security sectors, alongside growing concern about oversight; Jessica Figueras, Vice-Chair of the UK Cyber Security Council (writing here in a private capacity) believes that improved ethical governance will be crucial as the use of biometrics expands – and the lack of ‘algorithmic inspection’ skills required to provide that governance could slow the pace of adoption.

FEATURE: In the wake of the 9/11 attacks on New York, the city invested hugely in technology to keep communities safe; but as Policing Insight contributor Gareth Bryon reports, the use of such surveillance and identification tools to target minor crimes and activists is prompting public concern, and could become a key debate in the city’s approaching mayoral election.

OPINION: The Home Office recently put out a revised draft of the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice for public consultation in the UK; Tony Porter, the former Surveillance Camera Commissioner and now Chief Privacy Officer at Corsight AI, believes there is a need for more guidance and clearer governance of surveillance cameras and facial recognition technology, and that regulation of their use and deployment should be a role for the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office.

OPINION: The increased use of police body-worn cameras has been welcomed in many quarters as a route to improving transparency and accountability; but Bryce Newell, Assistant Professor of Media Law and Policy at the University of Oregon, fears that public records laws such as those prevalent in the US can lead to people’s most sensitive and traumatic moments being made available for public viewing.

OPINION: While the potential evidential benefits of police body-worn cameras are increasingly clear, inconsistencies in their use and oversight threaten to limit their positive impact; Griffith University Lecturers Robyn Blewer and Ronald Behlau believe regulation leading to more effective, consistent use, coupled with independent oversight, is the way forward.

OPINION: While new technology offers huge advances for policing, the public focus is often on the associated risks of over-reach (real or perceived) and the impact on human rights, and Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) is no different; but Dr Craig Jones of Stats NZ believes the New Zealand Police approach to FRT – committing to transparency and accountability, and addressing concerns through open conversation – can help to maintain public trust and deliver real benefits.

OPINION: Already referred to as ‘the most surveilled nation on Earth’, the UK looks set to invest in more CCTV through a funding boost to the Safer Streets initiative; but Professor William Webster of Stirling University believes that expanding the existing disparate and fragmented CCTV ecosystem neglects the wider societal change required for women to feel safer in public places.

OPINION: Steve Ainsworth, Director of Operational Safety at Northgate Public Services, believes public concern over the ethical use of AFR is blocking it from being seen as a force for good, and sets his sights on debunking facial recognition technology’s Big Brother image.