THE POLICE DATA CHALLENGE Copyright Policing Insight/Cognyte 2023 In a society where the volume and complexity of digital data are ever-expanding, it should be no surprise that policing – as with many other public and private sector organisations – is looking increasingly to technology to address some of the key challenges. What sets policing apart from many others is that not only does the data it sources and interrogates have to be processed and stored securely, oſten with the need to maintain evidential integrity, but it may also need to be analysed at speed to help the decision-making processes and guide responses for operational officers on the ground. Given those considerations, law enforcement is looking increasingly to automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for solutions to those challenges. And early indications are that these technologies hold huge potential for policing. Operational extraction and analytics Operation Venetic – UK policing’s role in the global campaign to target organised crime through cracking the EncroChat encrypted phone service – was the country’s largest ever law enforcement operation. The police data challenge: Maximising the potential of automation and AI The difficulties policing faces around the scale and complexity of digital data are widely acknowledged, but what about the potential for new technology to overcome some of those challenges? In the second in a series of five features looking at the police use of data, Policing Insight’s Keith Potter looks at some of the ways new tech – including automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning – are being employed in both investigative and preventative approaches. The ‘Police Data Challenge’ is an independent series researched and written by Policing Insight and commissioned by Cognyte. Policing Insight is the leading platform to keep up with the latest in progressive policing. It is where the global police and criminal justice community both consume and share knowledge, opinion and analysis. Cognyte is a market leader in investigative analytics soſtware that empowers a variety of government and other organizations with Actionable Intelligence for a Safer World™. Find out more at www.cognyte.com/nexyte. Keith Potter is the editor of Policing Insight