Is policing ready for artificial intelligence and automation? Author Alan Kerrigan
Governments all around the world are experimenting with using AI to prevent crime. Many Law Enforcement Agencies believe that the use of AI would help them quickly respond to crimes in progress.
The basic concept behind the development of AI tools is to predict crimes and the requirement for this is to process a massive volume of data, which will help the law enforcement agencies to find patterns.
A few decades ago, it was impossible to implement this technology for data analysis. However, recent developments in AI, machine learning, and data analytics are up to the task.
There are many governmental agencies and private companies interested in the implementation of AI to reduce the rates of crime in society. As of 2015, the U.S government and Department of Defense spent over $120 billion a year at local, state, and federal levels.
Recent reports show that the U.S government’s total spending on law enforcement is over $100 billion a year. It is because law enforcement agencies and prisons make up a significant percentage of the local government budgets.
Moreover, Irish Artificial intelligence legislation is likely to derive from the future European Union Ethical and Legal Developments. The Irish government is putting in place human-centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence that would work in a traceable and accountable manner in the law enforcement agencies of the country.
How will AI help the Police to Prevent Crime?
UK law enforcement agencies want to predict crimes using AI. The concept is that persons flagged by the AI system will be offered interventions — for instance — counselling to avert the criminal behaviour of a potential delinquent.
However, National Data Analytics Solutions “NDAS” is a system that uses big data, AI, and statistical information to assess the risks of individuals committing a crime or becoming victims of the knife or gun crime. The system also works to predict the likelihood of individuals falling victims to modern slavery.
The project is led by West Midlands Police and they have produced a prototype in March 2019. The project also involves eight other police forces — including Greater Manchester Police and London’s Metropolitan Police.
The purpose behind the design of NDAS is its use by all law enforcement agencies in the UK. Since police force funding has been significantly reduced in recent years, they need a sophisticated system, which can look at all people already known to the officers. The aim is to prioritize those in need of interventions at urgent basis.
Furthermore, AI-enabled computer systems can assist police officers in public spaces — for instance, airports, train stations, and sports venues. This way, AI helps them by providing constant surveillance. In China, there are special recognition AI-based technologies implemented in big cities. The Chinese authorities say that the system has helped them in identifying criminals in large crowds.
Every day, people create roughly over 3 quintillion bytes of data. You may have heard of “The Internet of Things,” which is an ecosystem of devices connected to the internet. It is forecasted to exceed 2.5 billion devices by 2030.
In addition, there will be over a trillion sensors to be in use by 2020. So much so, this digital tsunami tasks governments and law enforcement agencies in collecting data, understanding it, as well as crafting sound policies to prevent crime.
Law enforcement needs rapid-response mechanisms in order to acquire, curate, and analyze information in almost real-time. This surfeit of data can be managed using AI. The most important thing here is “Deep Learning (DL)” that requires a large volume of data to yield accurate output.
Therefore, AI in combination with Deep Learning is a great way to strengthen law enforcement agencies and shape the law enforcement community.
Opportunities & Challenges to the Irish Government
Ireland’s bid to employ AI technology in law enforcement and other organizations seems more of a dream than reality. A joint survey conducted by Analytics Institute and PwC has shown a consensus that the country is far behind the US, Russia, and China when it comes to the implementation of AI and machine learning technology in the law enforcement agencies.
Not only does it leave Ireland behind in the race for AI technology, but will also make it vulnerable to crime, delinquencies, and threats — especially the cyber-attacks. The survey put forward the need for substantial governmental public policy for AI — something similar to the Climate Action Plan.
According to Lorcan Malone — Analytics Institute’s chief executive, AI policy for law enforcement agencies is still in its infancy.
The government needs to call for comprehensive guidelines to address machine learning algorithms protocols and challenges. The Irish public is continuously calling on the government to create a sophisticated policy on AI.
Ireland needs to work on the following priorities that would lead to the success of AI implementation in law enforcement agencies.
1. An understanding of AI technology
2. Formation of AI strategy for law enforcement
3. Identification of big datasets to predict and solve crimes
4. Building an AI-ready police workforce.
5. Making AI, big data, and machine learning trustworthy
6. Combining AI with law enforcement protocols/guidelines and IoT technology.
Furthermore, to maintain the country’s strategic position in the world, protect the homeland, and succeed on preventing crime within the country and the future battlefield, the Department of Defense should work on the adoption of AI.
AI is changing a wide range of industries, businesses, and organizations in different countries of the world. AI is the future of the world and the government of Ireland must work to make it a “set in stone” approach when it comes to the reduction and prevention of crime.
The Irish government must harness the potential of machine learning algorithms and AI to transform all functions of law enforcement positively. This way, the government can support and protect the Irish service members, defending partners and allies, safeguarding Irish citizens, and improve the effectiveness, affordability, and speed of the law enforcement agencies’ operations.
Both the military and police — in future — will apply machine learning and AI capabilities in order to support key missions at an iterative, rapid, and yet responsible way. Lastly, situational awareness, equipment operational safety, decision-making, predictive maintenance, and supply — all of them can benefit from machine learning and AI-enabled tools.
Kind Regards
Alan Kerrigan
