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Tech and digital skills key to improving police productivity

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Tech and digital skills key to improving police productivity

Enhancing productivity in policing through technology and digital skills has the potential to boost the equivalent of 30,000 more police officers and staff, and could release up to 60 million policing hours over a five-year period, according to the Policing productivity review.

Concluded on 30 September 2024, the review was initiated by the Home Office in summer 2022 to identify strategies for enhancing productivity and outcomes in UK police forces.

Headed by Alan Pughsley QPM, a former chief constable at Kent Police, a significant focus of the independent review emphasizes on leveraging technology to enhance criminal justice outcomes, save time for frontline officers and administrative staff, and increase trust in policing as an institution.

“Policing productivity is crucial for optimizing service delivery with the available resources,” stated Pughsley. “It involves having more officers on duty, more officers and staff addressing incidents, and investigating crimes, all leading to better outcomes for the public.

“The review team has engaged with officers and staff nationwide, examining the challenges they encounter and observing instances of effective practices that could have a substantial impact if implemented more widely,” Pughsley mentioned. “The potential savings may seem surprising, but our recommendations are pragmatic and rooted in the realities of policing.”

Although the three-phase review has officially wrapped up, only a report from the first phase has been released so far, focusing on identifying barriers to police productivity.

These barriers include financial constraints, inadequate digital skills among the workforce, poor data quality, consistency, and sharing, as well as insufficient collaboration in resource allocation hindering widespread adoption of innovative practices in the UK’s federated policing system.

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Data issues

The report highlighted discrepancies in how data are captured, managed, shared, and utilized across different police forces; inconsistencies in data definition and interpretation; and the inability of forces to integrate their disparate data sources.

However, the first-phase report also showcased instances where technology has been effectively utilized to achieve various operational and administrative policing objectives.

Examples include Bedfordshire’s utilization of an AI-powered auto-redaction tool for file content removal, resulting in an 80% time efficiency gain; Dyfed-Powys, Leicestershire, and Sussex police using video calling for low-risk 999 calls; and the growing use of retrospective facial recognition in the police national database (PND), contributing to positive outcomes in over 100 cases monthly in South Wales Police alone.

Police legitimacy

The review also emphasized the role of data and technology in rebuilding the declining legitimacy of policing, cautioning against deploying new technologies without meaningful public engagement, which could further erode legitimacy.

It pointed out that low trust levels are impeding police effectiveness by hindering officers’ access to basic information such as witness statements, leading to increased workload and decreased productivity.

“Policing by consent requires transparency and accountability in the adoption and utilization of emerging technologies,” it stated. “Policing must demonstrate to the public the purpose and necessity of technology use, ensuring it aligns with legality and proportionality. The Home Office plays a vital role in establishing a framework for technology adoption. This context significantly influences policing productivity, as improper technology use or failure to adopt suitable technology can undermine justice and legitimacy.”

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Referring to retrospective facial recognition, the report highlighted the complex legal framework governing its use and the necessity for an independent national ethics function to instill public trust in police technology.

“Enhancing public engagement, communication on technology usage, and ethical considerations will contribute to building trust in policing,” the report concluded.

The review emphasized the urgency for digital skills enhancement, investment, and coordination to fully leverage the benefits of data and technology in policing.

“Innovation within the sector is not effectively shared, leading to unnecessary overlaps and duplications in efforts and resource utilization. Inadequate evaluations of innovations hamper their sustainability, weaken future resourcing efforts, and leave stakeholders unclear on the value delivered to citizens,” it noted.

The review also highlighted the need for individuals with specialized skills to keep pace with technological advancements, emphasizing the importance of internal training, recruitment of specialists, and external partnerships.

Pace of innovation

The review acknowledged that the pace of innovation often outstrips the development of legislation and guidelines, creating challenges for police forces in deploying new technologies within a clear legal framework.

Owen Sayers, an independent security consultant, criticized the notion that legislation lags behind technology, emphasizing the importance of adherence to existing laws for maintaining societal safety.

He highlighted the necessity for compliance with data protection laws in police technology deployments, cautioning against endorsing illegal data processing practices.

While these issues were brought to the attention of the Home Office, no formal response was received. However, the government’s response to the first-phase report included plans to establish a Centre for Police Productivity within the College of Policing by Autumn 2024, aimed at facilitating the implementation of recommendations from the review.

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The government’s response also mentioned the establishment of a Policing Data Hub to support data utilization and technology deployment in police forces, ultimately leading to improved outcomes at reduced costs.

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