Police.AI - New Tech Tools for UK Law Enforcement

13 Feb 2026 12:18 PM

With the National Centre for AI in Policing – dubbed Police.AI – UK policing is stepping up its pursuit of cutting-edge tools, but cost-effective, impactful delivery requires more than a new name.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies for security purposes are widely associated with defence applications, from killer robots to drone targeting. Yet AI also offers a wide range of opportunities for law enforcement. As the pressure to analyse vast amounts of data increases for law enforcement officers amid a resource squeeze on policing, AI tools promise efficiency, speed and the hope to keep up with criminals.

The case for greater use of AI in policing is summarised by Sir Stephen Kavanagh, former Executive Director at INTERPOL:

‘Criminal threats have moved on, and we haven’t. It is time for a new mindset: one that treats data and computer power as strategic assets’

AI in policing is now set to receive a boost. The National Centre for AI in Policing, or Police.AI, was established amid a flurry of reforms announced by government in what the Home Secretary called ‘the most significant modernisation in nearly 200 years’. The freshly announced National Police Service (NPS) will merge several agencies, including Counter Terrorism Policing, the National Crime Agency and Regional Organised Crime Units. The exact architecture has yet to be decided, but the Home Office were clear on intentions to provide a single home for procurement, digital, data and technology policy in policing. This sets the stage for streamlined and expanded deployment of AI tools, nationwide.

The first example of centrally led technology deployment is the expansion of AI-assisted live facial recognition (LFR) technology. Pilot programmes run by the Metropolitan Police Service and have yielded impressive results and, owing to deliberate police communication campaigns, are very well received by the public. The Home Secretary announced the immediate scaling of the programme, delivering 40 more LFR vans across the country. Though catching headlines, LFR is just the tip of the iceberg; AI solutions range from predictive analytics to real-time investigative support.

Click here for the full press release