Select Committee on Home Affairs Written Evidence


8.  Memorandum submitted by QinetiQ

INTRODUCTION

  Science and technology can enable the police to do their job even better. Enormous advances in the detection of crime have been achieved through new technologies such as DNA testing; other examples of how else technology can assist the operational side of policing are set out at 2 below. Making the police more effective can draw attention to a successful reform process.

  Science and technology can also advance the reform process itself, helping the police to become more focused, responsive, accountable and less mired in paperwork. The scientific method, of solid foundation and rigorous proofs, complements the disciplines of good governance and sound policy formation. It is thus central to what the Government, and police authorities and forces throughout the country, are endeavouring to achieve, with benefits for the public and the police alike.

  Science is not divorced from the legislative framework in which it operates, and needs to be considered in parallel. It can, however, assist with the allocation and prioritising of resources in an objective and justifiable way. The Home Office's recent appointment of a Chief Scientist is an indication that this view is gaining acceptance.

1.  HOW SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CAN DIRECTLY ASSIST POLICE REFORM

a.  Through the proactive use of science as a policing and crime-fighting tool

  This issue is fundamental to police reform, as it is one of culture and approach. It is just as important to see science and technology as an aid to protecting the community, or the motorist, and preventing crime as to ascertaining what has gone wrong after the event. Just as in the NHS, one key to reform rests with prevention so as to reduce the time and resources devoted to cure. Just as many technologies exist that can help the police to be proactive as to improve their response, but a culture change is needed at all levels for this message to be fully taken aboard.

  What is required is an audit, function by function, of what technologies exist that could contribute to a proactive policing stance. The audit needs to identify capability gaps both in the police service and in the technology industry's offerings, with concerted action needed to address both. It must look at emerging as well as current needs, as patterns of policing and crime will each continue to change.

  Virtually all crime involves the use of science and technology, if only the telephone. Internet crime is growing fast; staying ahead of the criminals is virtually impossible so there is the need for different tactics involving the anticipation of needs, with five aims: to deter, detect, disrupt, contain or prevent, and recover.

b.  Through outsourcing R&D

  The National Police Plan has given the Police Scientific Development Branch an enhanced role in developing technologies of use to the service. It is a valuable agency, but is too small to develop or take forward by itself the wide range of technologies the police will need in the years ahead. It is thus important that the PSDB sets priorities for what R&D it will undertake itself and what it will outsource to organisations capable of developing technologies across the full range of their requirements.

c.  Through integration of forensics, process and resources

  Through the agency of IT, forensic science and evidence are starting to play a far greater role in the process of criminal investigation, which will therefore become increasingly science-driven. When the link is also made with resources, the operational side of detective work will become easier to monitor and direct.

d.  Through SOCA and NCIS

  The Serious Organised Crime Agency will be taking on criminals with immense financial resources and, consequently, access to the best information technologies. For SOCA to succeed, it must itself be equipped with IT systems and other aids to intelligence and detection sophisticated enough to beat the criminals at their own game. It will therefore have to work closely with world leaders in security R&D.

  The National Criminal Intelligence Service will need equally sophisticated technologies. In addition to human intelligence, it will have to obtain information of a high enough quality from the Internet and other open sources to continue making an effective contribution to the war against crime.

e.  Through modelling and operational analysis

  The "soft science" modelling of causes and effects, the effects of policy changes and optimum buying decisions can assist the process of reform. Use of the scientific method includes a range of analytical tools drawn from a number of disciplines, for example the whole field of operational analysis. These tools add support to, and may well influence, the sound development and satisfactory implementation of policy. They are not a panacea, but this is another area in which having a Chief Scientist in the Home Office, with an appreciation of the applicability of tools in the support of policy formulation, will prove valuable.

f.  Through selection and training of personnel

It is vital to the police that the right people are appointed at all levels: officers with the steadiest nerve to be marksmen, vigilant people to monitor security machines, and men and women who are good with the public to work in the community. The Home Office, the Metropolitan Police and several other forces already operate high quality programmes devised by their occupational psychologists. There may, however, be scope for independent review or audit of both recruitment and training over the police service as a whole.

  QinetiQ has worked with the military over several decades devising training and selection programmes for people in life-or-death roles, from aircrew to maintainers of nuclear reactors and missile technicians. Further techniques developed for the transport security industry would be applicable to security support staff. It is, after all, vital for the police that staff handling security equipment and manning portals are as thorough and professional as themselves.

g.  Through reducing bureaucracy within the criminal justice system as a whole

  The police will only be perceived as effective if not only they, but the professionals they interact with, are on top of their job. Not only is almost half a police officer's time taken up with paperwork; this is mirrored in all the agencies—and other parts of the service—with which officers have to deal. Much important and sensitive information is handwritten and has to be typed up, and with systems not joined up communications will inevitably break down.

  The Bichard Report did not identify isolated lapses in a well-functioning system; information flow between police, courts, social services, the prison service and youth offending teams is almost non-existent. Each agency has to capture information separately and enter it into its own systems ... many of which are paper. There is an urgent need for reform of the criminal justice system as a whole, in step with the police.

  QinetiQ is in discussions with government about ways in which police IT systems can be made more capable, more effective, and more compatible with others. Equipping the police with information technology has not been without pain, but things are starting to come right. The next challenge is that large parts of the criminal justice system are way behind, while the scope for computing—and especially mobile computing—to assist the police is leaping ahead.

h.  Through the use of mobile computing

  Mobile computing has the capability to capture much information at source electronically, and more importantly to "fill in" information that is already known. For instance, officers with mobile data terminals can interrogate the police network about a suspect they have stopped and instantly recover information including photographs, other ID and criminal status. Decisions about response can be made instantly, without the need to return to the station. Coupled with GPS positioning devices, location based information can also be included and, crucially, returned to the control room so that the officer's position is accurately monitored for safety and backup.

  Police cars already have some form of mobile data units, but these are restricted to use in the vehicle. However personal mobile data terminals are now feasible with the use of standard hand held devices like Personal Digital Assistants and next-generation mobile phones. Incident queries and information such as stop and search are entered onto the portable terminal—and can be transmitted instantly to the police network—and notification receipts printed on a portable belt mounted printer.

  The transmission of sensitive information over the airwaves has security implications for personal data protection and intelligence confidentiality. QinetiQ, with its expertise in defence security, has concluded that with appropriate security protection, the desired level of data protection can be assured. Massive cost savings can thus be achieved by using commercial off-the-shelf facilities without compromising the integrity of the system. QinetiQ has produced a prototype using PDAs, GPRS and GPS; this is currently on trial with one police authority.

2.  HOW NEW TECHNOLOGIES CAN HELP THE POLICE DO THEIR JOB BETTER

  There are new, home-grown technologies available to the police in almost every aspect of their work which, if widely adopted, could demonstrate to the community a marked improvement in performance by a reformed police service. Many would also make the work of the individual officer less dangerous, more productive and more appreciated.

a.  Through modelling

  There is a wealth of "hard science" modelling that can be harnessed to assist policing. This expertise can be called on as required and needs a cadre of good scientists and engineers with the right security clearances and the ability to act as expert witnesses. Examples of where modelling could be useful include modelling of bricks dropped from motorway bridges, anticipation of blast effects on buildings, forensic reconstruction of debris after a major incident and blood modelling from an injury.

b.  Through available or emerging technologies

  These examples—most of them devised or investigated by QinetiQ—are just the tip of the iceberg. Some are in use but not widely, some are ready for deployment and others could be with a clear direction, or funding, from the Home Office, ACPO or the Police Authorities:

    —  Recognition of people, as well as cars, captured on CCTV.

    —  Remote sensing technologies that detect hidden people and concealed weapons, even if non-metallic, without risk to the individual or operator.

    —  Magnetic sensors could, with collaboration between the universities and industry, create even more sophisticated search technologies.

    —  Using electronic warfare technologies to handle increasing volumes of forensic data; IT in forensics itself is already well covered.

    —  QinetiQ's X-net, a blanket of netting which wraps itself round the axle of a fleeing car, preventing it getting away or skidding into pedestrians.

    —  Blind Signal Separation to recover voice and other sounds more effectively from telephone or other intercepts.

    —  Recovery of data stored by criminals in the engine management systems of their cars.

    —  A low-cost technology that could almost eliminate false alarms from intruder detection systems, also providing forensic data when there has been a break-in.

c.  Through involving the public

  Even without a beat bobby on every corner, technology enables the police to re-engage with the public and prove themselves as effective in the community as ever. Integrating law enforcement into society through the medium of technology will be a tangible sign to the public that the reform process is working. Here are some suggestions:

    —  Encouraging 3G mobile telephone users to photograph criminal acts and crime scenes and e-mail them to the police

    —  Encouraging use of the Internet as an alternative to dialling 999 or ringing the local police station.

    —  Tying Neighbourhood Watch to the Internet by putting a policemen's helmet icon on the browser, making it easy to report anything suspicious.

29 July 2004





 
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