WIREDGOV

techUK’s Justice and Emergency Services Committee (AI sub-group) has launched a report exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently being used and how it is likely to be used in the future across Police Forces in England and Wales. It aims to make AI in policing more accessible by highlighting real-world applications, the benefits they provide, the challenges involved, and the opportunities ahead.

The AI sub-group has highlighted how police forces in England and Wales are adopting AI, with widespread use of technologies like data analytics, ANPR, and PND, though advanced applications such as machine learning-driven decision support are still developing across different forces.

AI is already improving efficiency, speeding investigations, supporting real-time decisions, and enhancing public safety, while strong governance frameworks provide an ethical foundation. At the same time, challenges persist around data quality, interoperability, bias, transparency, and sustainability, and emerging innovations like agentic AI require careful oversight.

AI has significant potential to make policing more efficient, effective, and preventative, but realising this potential will require national coordination to ensure consistent access to proven tools, transparent publication of usage, audits, and performance metrics, and robust governance to manage bias, privacy, and ethical risks.

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