West Yorkshire Police deploys AI in control rooms

Known as Post Call Analysis (PCA), the system was developed in partnership with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Digital Public Contact (DPC) programme. It addresses a long-standing challenge faced by police control rooms with high volumes of contact where critical details of calls are not consistently captured by force systems.

Although all calls are audio recorded, the information retained often depends on operator notes rather than the full content of the conversation. This limits the ability to analyse demand, spot emerging trends, and connect intelligence across incidents – while also adding pressure to already busy control room staff.

PCA has been introduced as a secure, modular capability that integrates with existing control room processes. It automates routine tasks such as transcription and categorisation, while ensuring that operational decision making remains with trained staff.

All incoming calls processed through PCA are securely recorded and transcribed within a police controlled environment. The system produces short summaries and automatically categorises calls by topic, enabling faster retrieval and more effective analysis of contact data.

The system is trained exclusively on police data, and outputs are accompanied by plain language explanations, in line with current and emerging national standards for the use of artificial intelligence in policing.

Key features include:

• Repeat caller analysis, providing context around patterns of repeat contact rather than simple call counts
• Hidden vulnerability detection, identifying indicators of vulnerability that may not be captured in operator notes
• Compliance monitoring, checking whether crime prevention and forensic preservation advice has been provided, supporting improvement activity following PEEL inspections

Early pilot activity at West Yorkshire Police has shown:

• Improved capture of intelligence from public contact
• Better identification of vulnerability
• Increased assurance around compliance with expected advice

During pilot testing, the system identified 21% more calls containing indicators of hidden vulnerability than were previously recorded through standard processes.

NPCC Contact Operations Lead ACC Stuart Hooper said: “This is a genuinely significant moment for public contact policing. Through the DPC programme, we set out to enable forces to adopt technology that works for control rooms, not around them, and seeing Post Call Analysis go live at West Yorkshire Police is a strong example of that approach in action.

“By capturing and analysing intelligence that has historically been locked away in calls, this capability helps forces better understand demand, identify vulnerability earlier, and make more informed decisions. Just as importantly, it gives time back to control room professionals, allowing them to focus on judgement, empathy and critical decision making.

“The early results from pilot activity are encouraging and reflect what is possible when forces and national programmes work in partnership to design and deliver AI in a responsible and transparent way. We’re proud to have supported West Yorkshire Police in this work and excited about the role this capability can play as it develops further.”

Assistant Chief Constable Rob McCoubrey, Operational Support, West Yorkshire Police, said: “This capability is still in its early stages, but it is already starting to show how it can help us build a clearer understanding of the calls for service coming into our control room. By securely analysing historic calls in a timely and consistent way, it gives us an additional source of insight that can highlight vulnerability we may otherwise not have spotted and help us understand where further staff support or training might be beneficial. This is about gradually improving the quality of information available to us so we can continue to make informed decisions and provide the best service we can to the public.

“It is important to be clear that this technology supports our control room professionals – it does not replace their expertise. The skill, empathy and judgement of our staff remain central to every contact we handle. The AI simply assists by presenting information more efficiently.

“As we are in the early stages using this capability, we are taking a careful and measured approach. Everything has been introduced in full alignment with NPCC and College of Policing standards for responsible, transparent and ethical use of AI, and the system operates entirely within secure police environments. We are monitoring outputs closely to ensure they are accurate, proportionate and focused on public safety. While the early signs are encouraging, we will continue to learn, adjust and build confidence as we go, always putting our communities and our staff at the forefront of how we use this tool.”