Federation: “Better technology will save police officers time”

“Awe-inspiring” technological advances – including automation, digital fingerprint matching, facial recognition and drones – will be the biggest driver of reform in policing over the next few years, the NPCC has said.

The announcement is “great news”, according to Hampshire Police Federation, as it will save hard-pressed officers valuable time.

Hampshire has trialled mobile digital fingerprint recognition, although the technology needed improving, and the force already uses drones for public order, Zoë Wakefield, Federation Chair said.

She added: “Drones seem to be really good. They can feed images back live. And it’s so difficult sometimes to identify people from CCTV images, so developments in facial recognition that can help that will be welcome. Our force recently used printed 3D evidence in court. These advanced technologies are making a big difference to officers’ roles.”

NPCC Chair Gavin Stephens added: “Policing cannot stand still as technology evolves. If we do, our effectiveness in keeping people safe will be quickly eroded. Innovation and all that it brings quite simply enables our workforce to do their jobs better. We must push the boundaries of innovation; to be more agile, ensure early adoption and where proven to work, have the capability to quickly scale up nationally.”