WIREDGOV

Insights from Commissioner Cressida Dick’s RUSI Annual Security Lecture 2020 :

New tools have been introduced to aid in the reduction of moped enabled crime, from high powered motorbikes, DNA tagging and electronic pro spikes to Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) on laptops in their cars. CCTV and forensics, comms data is their best evidence for court. With all of these tools, it is clear how far policing has come since the 1980’s.  

The use of technology to tackle crime has enabled the Police to be more effective and efficient, improve safety and to raise transparency, accountability and standards. Convictions now are more reliable than they were in the 1980’s because of their use of technology.  

In Commissioner Dick’s speech, the ‘modern met’ was highlighted as getting fit for the future and how tech is enabling human policing. Volume and complexity of crime means the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) can’t stand still and can’t allow technology to advance with the MPS being left behind.  

UK Policing has been dealing with greater complexities. Expectations have raised regarding the need to manage risk. Rising demands, reducing reduced resources – trust in Police officers has continued to rise. Need to bare down in violent crime in London and bring more offenders to justice. 

The MPS are learning to adapt, modernise and are becoming hugely more transparent. The environment is changing online and on the streets with much more to do. The following three priorities were highlighted -   

• Violent crime
• Mobilising public and partners. Encouraging more active citizenship
• Achieving better outcomes in relation to justice 

The MPS have four enabling priorities, with the following two highlighted –  

• To be recognised as a responsible and ethical organisation  
• To seize opportunities for data and digital tech. This was highlighted as very important with the need to improve the MPSs work in the digital age.  

How is technology enabling the Police? 

Criminals are making powerful use of the digital world. The challenge in this data age is to make technology and data more of an advantage to the MPS than a criminal. Andrew Parker, MI5 ‘Technology will never replace our need to also have human insight’ 

Augmented intelligence was highlighted and defined, in this context as a ‘human centred partnership model of people and artificial intelligence working together to enhance cognitive performance including learning, decision making and new experiences.’ This term describes better how technology can work to improve human intelligence rather than to replace it. Technology gives the MPS incredible opportunities in 2020 and beyond to identify more offenders, to locate missing people and to prove associations and motivations. 

Introducing an array of armoury and tools in the past has now helped the police. Looking at, finger printing, DNA and wider forensics - When introduced – there were concerns highlighted by the public. Now they are a clear and an ever-growing success. CCTV – there were concerns, but it is evident how effective it is now with the public querying why there aren’t more cameras. Body worn video moves from strength to strength as an excellent tool for gathering evidence. It has integrity, is secure and it increases officer and public confidence. The ‘modern met’ are exploring machine translation tools, speech analytics software to identify high harm calls and including augmented reality to improve officer training. All of which are positive steps in the right direction. The Commissioner then went on to demystify the Met’s use of Live Facial Recognition technologies. 

Live facial recognition (LFR) was next to be highlighted by the Commissioner in order to demystify concerns highlighted by the public. LFR –  

• Does not store your biometric data 
• Human officers will always make final decisions as to whether to intervene
• Technology deployed by the MPS is proven not to have an ethnic bias 

The Commissioner emphasised that the MPS will continue to be primarily a human service and will use modern tech where appropriate in a way that is acceptable to citizens. Embracing new technology and embracing the data the MPS already has is key. A modern Met that is fit for the future where technology advances but the MPS is not left behind. The MPS need modern tools for a modern police to help keep citizens safe.