The Pros And Cons Of Tech In Policing

Technological advances will be a huge driver of policing over the next few years, but they will also benefit criminals, South Yorkshire Police Federation has warned.

The Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council recently announced that the NPCC was launching a new Science and Technology Committee to drive cutting-edge technological projects, adding that digital fingerprint matching, facial recognition, automation and drones were already changing policing.

South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: “This is a mixed bag because, on the one hand, technological advances help us when we’re talking about facial recognition and drones.

“But it’s also a problem when you think about what AI means for fraud. How is AI going to work in future with video evidence? Is it going to make it a challenge because people will be able to say, ‘No, that’s not me. That’s a fake image’? The way that criminals are using technology is scary.

“Fraud is becoming more sophisticated and complex. That means that it’s going to require more officer hours to deal with it and more specialised officers, which I’m not sure we’re prepared for yet.

“I’m not against technological advances. But the public still expects to physically see and speak to police officers. We can’t have a situation where people want to speak to a police officer and instead they’re talking to a bot online. That can’t happen. The public won’t stand for it.”