Technology/equipment/services

OPINION: With policing facing an expanding array of increasingly complex crime challenges, there is huge potential for digital transformation to help forces tackle that burden; Charlotte Hails, Justice & Policing Lead for Virgin Media O2 Business, argues that closer partnerships between policing and the private sector could help to overcome some of the existing constraints, and unlock the operational efficiencies that can enable forces to thrive.

WEBINAR PROMOTION: To save lives and better serve the public, police forces need to receive and share information with internal teams, partners, neighboring agencies and their communities as quickly and efficiently as possible. A global pandemic, social unrest and tightening budgets have exacerbated this need, making it vital for forces to adapt now. Join Hexagon’s Klaus Dalgaard on a webinar to learn how improving collaboration and real-time data sharing can help police forces.

LONG READ: The difficulties policing faces around the scale and complexity of digital data are widely acknowledged, but what about the potential for new technology to overcome some of those challenges? In the second in a series of five features looking at the police use of data, Policing Insight’s Keith Potter looks at some of the ways new tech – including automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning – are being employed in both investigative and preventative approaches.

ANALYSIS: A long-term approach to using technology, data analysis and information sharing to deliver significant reductions in gun violence in New Jersey has been hailed as the “tipping point in a new era of law enforcement” and is already being adopted and adapted by police and authorities in others states across the US, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: To save lives and better serve the public, police forces need to receive and share information with internal teams, partners, neighboring agencies and their communities as quickly and efficiently as possible. A global pandemic, social unrest and tightening budgets have exacerbated this need, making it vital for forces to adapt now. Join Hexagon’s Klaus Dalgaard on a webinar to learn how improving collaboration and real-time data sharing can help police forces.

ANALYSIS: In October the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) marked 10 years in operation, a decade that has seen significant international operations, substantial convictions and drug seizures, and major technological advances; but as Cathy Haenlein, Director of Organised Crime & Policing at the Royal United Services Institute explains, the threat to the UK from serious and organised crime is on the rise, and policing alone cannot overcome that threat.

FEATURE: With the law enforcement use of artificial intelligence (AI) advancing quickly in the UK and internationally, the National Police Chiefs’ Council recently published a new Covenant for Using AI in Policing; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the main principles in the document, and the wider guidance around the ethical, proportionate and transparent use of AI across criminal justice sectors.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Embracing technological modernisation in the police force will not only enhance safety for both officers and those they serve, but deliver operational efficiencies which can greatly improve response management.

LONG READ: The exponential growth in data sources offers policing significant opportunities for investigating and intelligence gathering, but brings with it new obstacles around the scale, complexity and consistency of data; in the first in a series of five features looking at the police use of data, Policing Insight’s Keith Potter looks at some of those key challenges at a force and national level.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The 5th International Police Education Conference on 10th November 2023, hosted by the London Policing College and supported by Policing Insight, explores the critical themes of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), digitalization, and public protest. We delve into key insights from five workshops that gathered experts, academics, and professionals from around the world to address the challenges and opportunities in modern policing.

FEATURE: With the UK’s first artificial intelligence (AI) safety summit taking place this week, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at some of the risks posed by ‘frontier AI’, as well as efforts by the UK Government and counterparts in Europe to identify and minimise potentially harmful threats from the cutting-edge technology.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: To address the challenges of increasing digital evidence and siloed data sources, South Wales Police and Gwent Police implemented Nice Investigate, a Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) that is part of the NICE Evidencentral suite from NICE which is currently used by more than 20 police forces and organisations in England and Wales.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Debbie Kettle talks about the benefits of this innovative software and also the importance of Leadership Development software, enabling leaders to put in place strategies to help navigate Officers through the digital landscape and understand the recent legislation positioned to improve a victim’s journey.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Digital transformation is something of a buzz word in British policing, and the switch to cloud computing is viewed by many as crucial to leveraging the greatest benefits from those transformational opportunities; Ian Holmes, commercial sales manager, and Klaus Dalgaard, business development manager, both of Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division, spoke to Policing Insight about the move towards the cloud and policing’s wider digital transformation journey.

OPINION: Policing in the UK and internationally seemingly struggles to find the best approach to using social media, with forces and officers either criticised for not being proactive enough, or drawn into controversy as situations go viral; former police officer Oliver Laurence, now a policing consultant, looks at some of the recent challenges that have faced the UK’s largest force in its use of Twitter and X (caution this article contains content that may upset some readers).

OPINION: Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by New Zealand Police to identify, analyse and investigate criminals and criminal activity; but University of Auckland Associate Professor Alexandra Sims believes that new legislation and independent monitoring is needed to protect against the dangers of the erosion of privacy and algorithmic bias, and ensure compliance with existing frameworks and principles.

INTERVIEW: With policing at a ‘critical juncture’ on a number of levels, the potential for digitisation and technological transformation to make a positive impact should not underestimated; in the last in a series of features focused on the recent UK Policing Digital Summit, Policing Insight’s Graham Jarvis spoke to Alex Bowen and Owen White of the Police Digital Service about the opportunities to stimulate the future of policing through digital technology.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Kent and Essex Police's DAMS product owner has described Axon Evidence as “a game changer for the management of digital evidence”, allowing the two forces to streamline their investigative workflows and facilitate more efficient sharing among colleagues and stakeholders from the justice system. Discover how Axon Evidence's integrated and user-friendly platform has contributed to saving over 100,000 hours of officer time at Kent and Essex Police.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of articles focusing on the recent UK Police Digital Summit, Policing Insight’s Graham Jarvis spoke to Norfolk Deputy Chief Constable Simon Megicks, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Digital Public Contact, about how improved police communications and engagement, increased digital contact channel options, and tailored one-to-one messaging can help to address the decline in public trust and confidence in policing.

FEATURE: The rapid expansion in the use of digital devices has presented new opportunities and challenges for police in the UK and internationally in leveraging information from digital data in criminal investigations; ahead of next week’s London Policing College workshop focusing on these issues, lecturer and consultant Dr Stuart Hyde, an experienced chief police officer and previous national police lead for data compliance, explores some the key concerns around skillsets, the regulatory framework, and the dangers of over-reliance on specialists.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Join us in Manchester at the annual ANPR Conference 13-14 November supported by Policing Insight, with this year's focus on 'optimising capability'.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of articles focusing on last month’s UK Police Digital Summit, Policing Insight’s Graham Jarvis spoke to Dr Nicola Millard, Principal Innovation Partner and BT Business Chief Technology Officer, about the importance of people-centred innovation, the need to recognise ‘easy’ as a driver for technological change, and the potential for mixed reality to transform police responses to major critical incidents.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: A rising tide of online child sexual exploitation (CSE) cases has left UK police forces swamped. Technology provides a solution. How can forces harness technology to get through swathes of evidence and extract the insight they need to bring predators to justice faster?

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of articles focusing on last month’s UK Police Digital Summit, Policing Insight’s Graham Jarvis spoke to Brent Wild and Dr Steve Conn, IT connectivity and network specialists for Surrey and Sussex police forces, about the challenges around policing connectivity, the potential benefits from improving networks and interoperability, and the importance of understanding user needs in delivering new technology.