The Importance of digital ethics in citizen-centric policing
The police force relies heavily on citizen-led information to make sense of a situation and provide rapid response and quick assistance. In emergencies, officers must toe the line between being flexible and reacting decisively to changing circumstances. Thus, having timely and accurate information is vital. And it all begins in the control room.
In emergencies, the control room is the first point of contact for the public and as such, it plays a critical role. For officers to take the citizen-centric approach, they must offer the right support, guidance, and interventions. However, this can be hindered by outdated operational systems. Information stored across several data systems make it difficult for police officers to develop a clear and accurate understanding of what citizens want and their situations in real time.
In order to prioritise, modern control rooms can refine their systems and better streamline their processes by recognising and implementing digital technologies. However, to effectively prioritise citizens’ needs, ethics must be placed at the core of any technical strategy.
Policing with ethics
Digital ethics is a continual process of identifying, prioritising and managing the risks and opportunities that technology and data use pose to people, society and the environment. Digital ethics is not just a set of principles or codes of conduct. It requires policy and governance, but also tools, skills and culture adaptation.
Digital ethics has become increasingly relevant over the last decade due to a growing recognition that the adoption of new technologies, and more sophisticated means of processing data, can have consequences for individuals and society. The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer reported that public trust in technology is falling, with its advancement being associated with job loss, information bankruptcy, and other societal ills. The growing reliance on smart home cameras and CCTV systems has further exacerbated public concerns over data privacy. These factors have started to shake the foundations of public trust in technology in the police forces and other law enforcement agencies.
Putting ethics at the centre of digital transformation can help to rebuild public confidence in the use of technology in those organisations.
The National Policing Digital Strategy 2020-2030 rightly states that “the challenges and opportunities that digital disruption present to policing is rapidly becoming defining issues for the service.” With digital modernisation strategies becoming more integral to the operation of UK police, digital ethics must also become a priority so that public trust is consolidated.
Broadening communication channels
Accurate and real-time communication is vital to the police in ensuring citizen needs are understood and met effectively. Technology opens up new ways for the public to contact the police, such as live chat functions on regional police force websites. While the traditional method of contacting the police via telephone remains in place, expanding the ways in which the public can access the police means forces will be more inclusive in the ways they operate. Regional forces like the West Midlands Police have already successfully implemented such functions, making them accessible to the community in a way that less progressive forces are not.
Automated chat bots can also save valuable time and human resources in control rooms by processing routine queries. Chat bots can work 24/7 and process multiple languages, making it easier for police to triage less urgent requests and reports from a wider range of citizens.
Online platforms, such as websites and social media pages operated by regional police forces, offer another discrete means for citizens to contact the police in emergency situations. Where a phone call cannot be made, these platforms act as a secure line to the police when it is most needed.
Organising responses through data
Making better use of data is essential to driving better policing outcomes. Currently, there is a general lack of data sharing within and between forces, as well as with relevant external organisations like the court system or safeguarding specialists. Further, there is little protocol and guidance in place to allow for easier and ethical methods of data sharing. Effective sharing of data could improve communication between the public and the police, allowing for a more coordinated and targeted approach when dealing with incidents.
There are certainly examples of good data sharing practices starting to emerge. For example, domestic abuse safeguarding requires external agencies to go through a vetting process in order to sign up to an information sharing protocol. Naturally, the use of various data systems, while providing a more holistic response, also creates multiple entry points, which make the possibility for error more likely. Failure to properly manage data across forces and external organisations could cause information to be misplaced or missed, potentially resulting in forces being overwhelmed by the volume and variety of data. Consequently, this could impact the public-police relationship if it is not clear that transparency and privacy are being maintained in the handling of data.
Weaving ethics into digital solutions
The answer to ensuring digital solutions and data sharing is effective is to integrate ethics at every stage. Privacy, transparency, safety and accessibility should be at the core of any solution pursued by police forces. This requires maintaining a careful balance between innovation and implementation.
New solutions like facial recognition technology and algorithms for predictive policing offer significant benefits, but there is potential for error that could further damage public trust, if the data that guides the decision is inaccurate or biased. For example, algorithms used to examine the backgrounds and behavioural history of citizens could mistakenly or unfairly target certain demographics or communities. For those who already have a lower level of trust in the police force, these technological solutions may, in fact, end up doing more harm than good.
The policing code of ethics, and its use in the National Decision-Making Model, provides the main guidance for forces’ management of ethics. However, these do not explicitly provide guidance on digital or data ethics issues. A more specific set of guidelines on digital ethics is needed in policing at both a regional and national level if the benefits of digital solutions are to be realised; HMIC, the main policing auditing body, does not currently review forces’ approaches to managing digital ethics issues. While they do assess forces’ legitimacy and efficiency, which can include their approach to ethics, there is more focus on compliance and broader themes such as recording crime data.
However, there are some steps in the right direction. These include an independent advisory board set up by the Scottish Government to monitor emerging technologies in policing, and the Ethics Advisory Report from the Alan Turing Institute for West Midlands Police, but a bigger push is needed to ensure digital solutions serve both the police and the public effectively.
Reinforcing a citizen-centric approach
With wavering trust in public institutions, it is vital that the police force adopt a proactive approach to digital ethics which will allow them to deliver effective and reliable solutions for the public.
For the police force, making digital solutions citizen centric means prioritising public interest in technology deployment. This will strengthen the relationship between the public and the police while improving operational efficiency through the use of shared data and better communication. For this to happen, digital ethics must be placed at the top of the agenda and weaved into every aspect of digital transformation.
For more information, download Sopra Steria’s latest market report ‘Digital Ethics in Policing’
Author:
Paul Bergin, Managing Director, Public Safety Group, Sopra Steria
About Sopra Steria
Sopra Steria, a European leader in consulting, digital services and software development, helps its clients drive their digital transformation. With 47,000 employees in 30 countries, the Group places people at the heart of everything it does to build a positive future.
A long history of providing major operational systems to the public safety market has placed Sopra Steria at the forefront of understanding user requirements and providing solutions that use the best combination of technologies to meet the business needs of its customers.
This year Sopra Steria is celebrating 25 years of STORM, providing the leading command and control solution for the majority of the UK’s police forces. STORM gives emergency services access to a reliable and resilient platform, allowing control room staff to quickly create and manage incidents and control mission-critical resources to keep the public safe. Sopra Steria continues to develop exciting new integrations with the STORM solution alongside the company’s other future-proof digital offerings tailored to the public safety market.
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.