AI helping police tackle child exploitation and domestic abuse

That is the message from policing’s first-ever lead for AI as he reaffirms his commitment to transforming the service.

T/Chief Constable Alex Murray took up this role in March this year and wants to focus on three key areas: improving productivity, making policing more effective in cutting crime and tackling the criminal use of AI.

He said “innovative work and ambitious pilots” are already underway to help meet those key objectives.

These include:

• AI trials in control rooms to help call handlers manage demand and focus on those most at risk;
• The development of redaction tools, transcription and translation services; and
• Tools that can search through huge amounts of data to find out where potential child exploitation is taking place.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) is also taking part in the Probable Futures programme, a four-year research project which reviews all AI systems across law enforcement and will create a responsible and ‘operational-ready’ framework for using AI.

Mr Murray said: “There are huge benefits to using AI across the wider criminal justice system, not just in policing, and we should not shy away from it.

“Technology is moving at such a fast pace, and it will never be this slow again which means we need to mobilise now and equip our workforce for the future. If we don’t, we risk falling behind the criminals who are embracing and exploiting these tools.

“AI offers huge opportunities for policing. It can automate a range of administrative tasks such as closing call logs, redacting huge court bundles and translating documents. It can help our call handlers to prioritise those who need their assistance most and can even help identify patterns and trends in evidence. These gains in productivity mean officers and staff will ultimately have more time to be back out in their community.

“There is always more demand for policing than it can supply and AI helps release officer time so they can concentrate on those who need them most.

“The public can be assured that AI is not replacing officers. Police will remain at the heart of everything we do because violent disorder, domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation for example, will always need a trained human officer to interact, offer support and make the final decisions and that will never change.”

The former West Mercia Police officer, now a director in the National Crime Agency, added: “I want to be very clear with the public that our use of AI will always be responsible, transparent and explainable and this is why we have all signed up to the first-ever AI covenant.

“The responsible use of AI is paramount if we are to deliver a service that is trusted by communities. People will see the only motivation here is to improve what we do and to better achieve our mission of making people safer.

“We are open to scrutiny and want to build transparency into what we do. For us, innovation is about keeping our communities safe, not for profit, not for the sake of it.

“We are committed to working with key partners, academia and industry leaders to improve but will always be open and transparent about our actions and intentions.”

The NPCC has also jointly pledged up to £4.5 million to boost innovation and seek out new ways to tackle crime.

Together with UK Research Innovation (UKRI), the funding will go towards the creation of nine Policing Academic Centres of Excellence (P-ACEs).

The centres will improve connections between policing and academic researchers, bringing them together to share evidence and methods and shape practices.

It is hoped the centres can galvanise researchers, enhance the quality and scale of work in policing, and help establish new evidence led methods for policing to tackle and prevent crime, build public trust, and improve the wider criminal justice system.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said: “Research and innovation is key to transforming policing and ensuring the service is not only fit for purpose but that it delivers the best results for our communities.

“The technologies which benefit policing are not tools which we can just buy off the shelf, they develop over time in response to our complex needs and are built with the help and support of industry and academia.  That’s why investing in new centres like this are essential.

“This work will help us to futureproof policing and invest in the tools and technology of tomorrow, today.

“By bringing researchers, academics and leaders in their fields together with law enforcement we can help prevent and tackle a range of offences using the newest and most innovative methods.”

Each P-ACE will be promoted across the policing sector as an accessible source of leading academic experts aligned with policing’s Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and evidence needs.

The maximum total value of this opportunity is £5.4 million, with each P-ACE having a maximum total funding of £600,000.

The funding from the NPCC and UKRI will contribute 80 per cent towards the total value of the fund.