Data-driven justice: modernising policing through strategic innovation
The National Policing Digital Strategy 2020-2030 highlights that information is the lifeblood of policing. However, police forces across the UK grapple with challenges related to legacy systems and the vast amount of data that these systems need to process. This blog delves into the strategies that can transform these hurdles into stepping stones, harnessing the power of data and connected systems to revolutionise policing and drive continuous improvement.
The legacy system landscape
Many police forces still rely on legacy systems developed decades ago. These systems might be challenging to maintain due to lack of technical skills and vendor updates, or reside on private infrastructure networks, siloed from other technology. Some are simply unfit for purpose. Unfortunately, siloed technology leads to siloed data, leaving police forces data-rich but often insight-poor.
Data plays a crucial role in the criminal justice system. It provided insights into citizen behaviour and trends, facilitating the shift from reactive policing to proactive and preventative approaches.
But how can we connect siloed legacy systems for maximum benefit?
Bridging the gap: strategies for legacy system integration
1. Improving interoperability
Imagine a police force with a portfolio of legacy applications used by frontline officers, each sitting on separate data platforms. By collaborating with industry experts, forces can integrate these applications onto a single modern data platform, reducing the need to rekey information and ultimately improving data quality, speeding up data access and enhancing intelligent data insights.
2. The future is the cloud
Nearly half of UK police forces are on their cloud-transformation journey. Hosting systems in the cloud offers several advantages:
- Scalability: A hybrid cloud approach (combining existing on-premise services with public cloud services) provides scalability depending on the forces needs at any particular one time
- Cost-saving: whilst cloud infrastructure is often a cost-effective approach, enhanced scalability also helps forces manage costs only paying for what’s needed at a particular time
- Accessibility: cloud-based systems allow access anywhere, enabling officers to work efficiency in the field and empowering all police personnel and IT teams alike
Consider digital forensics – a critical element of modern policing as it’s estimated that 90% of UK crimes have a digital footprint. By hosting forensics systems in the cloud (e.g. using Microsoft Azure Infrastructure services), teams can scale resources up or down as caseloads fluctuate. This flexibility ensures cost control without compromising processing speed and accuracy for active cases, as well as ensuring accountability and mitigating risks.
3. Enabling proactive policing
Connected systems and shared data empowers police forces. Leveraging tools like Microsoft Fabric and Power BI, forces can pinpoint crime hotspots and strategically allocate resources. For instance, data-driven insights allow targeted deployments during specific times of day, ultimately resulting in reduced crime statistics through proactive crime prevention.
The road ahead
Managing legacy systems and data is a complex task, but the right strategies – combined with support of a trusted technology partner such as Node4 – can lead to successful transitions. By embracing modern technologies, prioritising data security, and encouraging collaboration, polices forces can unlock the full potential of their data to improve service delivery for their citizens and ultimately strengthen public trust and safety.
Georgie Morgan
Georgie joined techUK as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager in March 2020, then becoming Head of Programme in January 2022.
Cinzia Miatto
Cinzia joined techUK in August 2023 as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager.
Ella Gago-Brookes
Ella joined techUK in November 2023 as a Markets Team Assistant, supporting the Justice and Emergency Services, Central Government and Financial Services Programmes.
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