Policing in England and Wales holds a significant volume of data and relies on it every day to inform decisions, prioritise resources and protect the public. Turning that into usable insight, at pace, remains challenging. The National Data Integration and Exploitation Service (NDIES) has been developed as a national technical and advisory service, as part of the National Data and Analytics Office (NDAO) to help bridge that gap, making it easier to connect data, access it more efficiently, and use it to inform day-to-day decisions.

Behind the scenes of some of the UK’s most complex and high-profile investigations, a small group of Behavioural Investigative Advisers (BIAs) use their specialist expertise to help police forces understand the minds and motives of unknown offenders.

Understanding and addressing fraud against children and young people (CYP), and developing an effective policing and policy response to it, is an emerging operational priority. To understand how science and technology is part of the solution, we spoke to a Senior Intelligence Analyst from City of London Police, Beth Mooney (Head of Research, Crest Advisory) and Madeline Rolfe (Strategy and Insight Manager, Crest Advisory) who have been working together to tackle youth-targeted fraud by developing an action plan setting out clear actions for partners involved in the response.  

Project Minerva is a collaborative research initiative which has developed a statistical mapping tool to identify high-risk public place areas for violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Essex, known as ‘Minerva Zones’.

Project Minerva is a collaborative research initiative which has developed a statistical mapping tool to identify high-risk public place areas for violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Essex, known as ‘Minerva Zones’.

Call volumes to the police are increasing in volume and complexity - presenting a challenge for forces struggling to keep up with the demand, respond to calls, and investigate crimes effectively.  Non-urgent domestic abuse calls were an area of particular concern. We spoke to Stacey Rothwell about how she leveraged a new approach, through science and technology, to tackle the issue.

Call volumes to the police are increasing in volume and complexity - presenting a challenge for forces struggling to keep up with the demand, respond to calls, and investigate crimes effectively.  Non-urgent domestic abuse calls were an area of particular concern. We spoke to Stacey Rothwell about how she leveraged a new approach, through science and technology, to tackle the issue.

Recruiting and building a high calibre, highly engaged police force is a priority across the country. To meet ambitious recruitment targets, policing needs to scale up the way that recruitment and vetting happens. It’s why the service has invested in tools to help predict who might be at risk of committing serious misconduct, not only for serving officers but for those at entry point.

Partnerships between police and academic institutions have been crucial in advancing the field of forensic imaging. With the rapid pace of technological advancements, it is important for police forces to keep up with the latest developments to effectively serve the public. One such collaboration, in the field of forensic imaging, has allowed for the development of cutting-edge tools and techniques to aid in criminal investigations.

Partnerships between police and academic institutions have been crucial in advancing the field of forensic imaging. With the rapid pace of technological advancements, it is important for police forces to keep up with the latest developments to effectively serve the public. One such collaboration, in the field of forensic imaging, has allowed for the development of cutting-edge tools and techniques to aid in criminal investigations.

Kent Police sought to tackle the rise in demand of domestic abuse related calls and to improve witness and victim satisfaction, which they recognised as a key requirement for improvement. Their pioneering response to the rise in cases provides an excellent example from which to learn important lessons.

In the world of policing, science and technology play a vital role in ensuring we stay a step ahead on tackling and preventing crime to better protect the public, deliver justice, and support police on the frontline. Professor Michelle McManus, a specialist in safeguarding and violence prevention, has been working on a project called Yardbird, a beneficiary of Police Science, Technology, Analysis and Research (STAR) Funding.

In the world of policing, science and technology play a vital role in ensuring we stay a step ahead on tackling and preventing crime to better protect the public, deliver justice, and support police on the frontline. Professor Michelle McManus, a specialist in safeguarding and violence prevention, has been working on a project called Yardbird, a beneficiary of Police Science, Technology, Analysis and Research (STAR) Funding.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a complex and sensitive issue, especially their safety in public spaces. The police play a vital role in protecting women and girls from violence, making it crucial for the service to listen to this group’s concerns and seek out ways to better safeguard them.

Facial recognition technology has become an important tool for many police forces worldwide, including the Metropolitan Police Service (Met). To gain a better understanding of how the technology has been implemented and its potential impact, we spoke to Lindsey Chiswick, Director of Intelligence at the Met and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Lead on Facial Recognition

TOEX, the specialised programme led by Kate Thacker, takes a proactive and intelligence-led approach to policing, offering resources and expertise to help agencies tackle complex cases involving organised exploitation. 

TOEX, the specialised programme led by Kate Thacker, takes a proactive and intelligence-led approach to policing, offering resources and expertise to help agencies tackle complex cases involving organised exploitation. 

Processes used to collect, store and manage evidence in criminal investigations are becoming digitalised as the police harness the benefits that this represents for the workforce and for service provision.

Sir Anthony Finkelstein CBE FREng DSc MAE FCGI is a world-leading engineer and computer scientist. He is a member of the Council of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Chair of the Police Science Council established by the Police Chief Scientific Adviser.

Knife crime is on the rise, and is presenting a large and complex challenge for police forces across the country. Instead of focusing only on investigating crime after it has occurred, Essex Police have looked at innovative ways to predict and prevent future crime, benefitting communities and individuals across the county.