Industry
Public Services
Forward-thinking government for citizen-first services
Highlights
- Legacy law enforcement systems pose a significant risk to security and hinder the ability to serve citizens effectively. Modernizing these systems would increase efficiency and security while improving the user experience across all channels.
- Technology-driven precision policing, community policing, cybersecurity, predictive policing, and AR-VR-based training for newly onboarded police officers are a few technologies shaping the future of law enforcement.
- Transforming law enforcement would require modernizing legacy systems, integrating AI and ML technologies, adopting futuristic technologies such as an Al-based voice recognition system for suspects, and using digital twin solutions for operation planning.
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Safeguarding citizens in the digital age
Governments are responsible for ensuring the safety of their citizens and communities.
Governments must be even more vigilant to safeguard people in this era of digital anonymity and complex technology environments. Leaders are exploring opportunities to implement law reforms for increased accountability and transparency. The goal is to strengthen citizen safety and security, improve policy implications, and enhance government and citizen relationships. Building trust among citizens for government services is the key to making these goals a reality.
However, several existing law enforcement systems are outdated and built on client-server technologies. Such systems are inefficient and pose a significant risk to security.
The lack of a unified experience across channels, the absence of a single system of records for core processes, and the use of mainframe systems have resulted in a fragmented system landscape vulnerable to multipoint failures. Integrating new solutions to keep pace with the digital world has added to the complexity of the system landscape. Further, a standard and uniform asset and liability management process across enterprise applications is not followed, making the application landscape fragile.
The situation has presented an opportunity to modernize law enforcement systems for increased efficiency, effectiveness, and security while reducing the complexity of the system landscape and improving the user experience across channels. This PoV will explore the challenges, trends, and possibilities of a modern, robust law enforcement system.
Challenges in implementing technology solutions
Technology implementation is a complex process.
Ensuring successful integration and effectiveness of technology requires law enforcement agencies to think along four broad areas:
Integration complexity: Various new technologies, such as computer-aided dispatch and records management systems, have been adopted by several law enforcement agencies as core systems. Although these systems have added value to law enforcement operations, the technology landscape has become increasingly complex. These systems must integrate with core scheduling, business asset management, forensic research, and enterprise resource planning systems.
Interoperability: First responders often need help accessing vital information across departments. For instance, callers' medical histories, identities, and historical records may not be readily available. Interoperable systems can facilitate seamless sharing of such information across different departments.
Legacy technology limitations: Historically, legacy systems executed significant core business data and processes. Some agencies still use legacy systems to manage core business functions, which can lead to inefficiency, integration challenges, and increased spending, especially if locked into long-term contracts with existing suppliers.
Slow decision-making: Technologies are changing rapidly. However, the departments responsible for managing change are struggling to keep up. Slow procurement processes, departmental resistance to new technology, privacy concerns, data retention and disclosure policies, and cost of implementation and funding are factors that further restrict the implementation of technology in law enforcement.
A clear path forward and knowing what steps to take next can assist law enforcement agencies in adopting advanced technological reforms.
The power of advanced technologies
Law enforcement has undergone significant technological advancements over the past two decades.
The adoption of technology has been the driving force behind these changes. Progress has been made in areas including:
Technology-driven precision policing: Law enforcement agencies are increasingly relying on technology-driven precision policing as their key operating model. Community policing, a strategy to establish a strong relationship between the police and the community, is heavily supported by emerging technologies. Integrating technologies such as cameras and low-power radio service into a single system can significantly enhance situational awareness and reduce the time spent on gathering evidence.
Predictive policing: An emerging trend in law enforcement, it uses data and analytics to prevent crime by identifying and targeting high-crime areas through mathematical models. Additionally, newly onboarded police officers can benefit from augmented reality (AR)-virtual reality (VR)-based training, which can provide them with immersive and interactive training experiences.
Specialized solutions and equipment: Computer-aided dispatch, record management, case management, digital policing, and incident response are designed to streamline law enforcement operations and improve efficiency. Finally, connectivity providers and original equipment manufacturers are critical in providing the infrastructure for these solutions to operate effectively. Together, these components form a robust ecosystem that supports law enforcement agencies in maintaining public safety and security.
Law enforcement agencies across different countries are employing advanced technologies to provide better citizen services. Police from various countries, for example, can use the secure information exchange network application (SIENA) to contact Europol for its assistance. SIENA is an advanced messaging service provided by Europol that allows for the quick exchange of crime-related operational and strategic data between Europol and European Union (EU) and non-EU countries, as well as between member states and third parties.
The Europol Information System is Europol's primary reference system designed to support member states, Europol, and its partners in their efforts to combat organized crime, terrorism, and other serious crimes. It contains information on offenses, individuals involved, and other related data associated with suspected and convicted persons.
Transforming law enforcement
We recommend state governments and federal law enforcement agencies to adopt a three-stage digital transformation journey.
The first stage of this journey is focused on the modernization of infrastructure, which includes the modernization of legacy systems, computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems migration to cloud platforms, and the introduction of multi-channel support through web, social media, chat, and country-specific emergency numbers. It also includes the modernization of contact centers and stream through iPaaS platforms.
Additionally, it involves transforming client-server custom apps to new full-stack technologies and retiring client-server technology-based packaged solutions to new scalable and cloud-based packaged solutions.
Once critical initiatives are taken care of in the first stage, the focus should shift toward initiatives that have the potential to transform operations and significantly improve the citizen experience. The second stage includes embracing AI and ML-focused initiatives, using AI for crime mapping, deploying AI facial recognition solutions for criminal investigations, introducing robots for imaging and disposal of suspected objects, and deploying wearable devices for remote object identification and safety alerts.
This stage also includes thermal imaging solutions for effective operations management, metaverse-based training solutions, and a federated blockchain-based solution on crime records, integrated with national identity.
The last stage will involve experimenting with futuristic technologies such as AI-based voice recognition systems of suspects, AI-based call detail record analytics to identify communication trace, digital twin solutions for operation planning and management, crime scene building and analysis, large language models for image creation of the crime scene, and more.
This three-stage approach will help transform law enforcement agencies with reduced risk while addressing existing systems and process gaps.
Figure 1 highlights the potential digital transformation initiatives for law enforcement organizations.
Figure 1
Potential digital transformation initiatives for law enforcement organizations
Figure 1
Benefits of adopting technology in law enforcement
A technologically advanced law enforcement agency is an invaluable asset to national security as it brings numerous benefits
Technology enhances the productivity and efficiency of law enforcement agencies by reducing the burden of daily manual tasks. Additionally, technology helps to identify crime trends and hotspots in society. Smartphone apps connected to centralized databases give investigating officers real-time access to data on missing individuals, vehicles, bodies, and criminal histories, enabling them to act quickly. Furthermore, adopting these technologies can bridge the trust gap between law enforcement and communities, helping to improve relationships and communication.
A complete transformation of law enforcement agencies requires a structured and clear digital transformation roadmap, technology-friendly police reforms, program governance, and cultural transformation for technology adoption. By following these steps, law enforcement agencies can modernize their operations and improve their ability to serve better and protect their citizens.
