{"id":57742,"date":"2015-12-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-16T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/richardvanhooijdonk.com\/blog\/from-connected-police-officer-to-robocop-the-future-of-policing-is-here\/"},"modified":"2021-03-26T15:59:30","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T13:59:30","slug":"from-connected-police-officer-to-robocop-the-future-of-policing-is-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/from-connected-police-officer-to-robocop-the-future-of-policing-is-here\/","title":{"rendered":"From connected police officer to Robocop \u2013 the future of policing is here"},"content":{"rendered":"

The vision of robotic looking law enforcement officers rushing to a crime scene without any crimes having been committed yet may seem like something out of a sci-fi movie. The reality of this is however not very far away. Technological developments are playing an increasingly important role in law enforcement of the future as they help improve efficiency and police officer safety. Police department personnel also enjoy working with state-of-the-art technology, which can have a positive effect on morale and productivity. Some of these technologies can already be seen on the streets, while others are still on the horizon. One thing is certain: technology is helping the police turn sci-fi into fact.<\/p>\n

How will the connected police officer soon be outfitted?<\/h2>\n

British Police department researchers are investigating a series of gear which will turn police officers into sci-fi characters, much like Robocop. The department\u2019s wish list is extensive. It includes a range of equipment and technology such as exoskeletons, wearables such as smart watches and glasses similar to Google Glass, smart belts, body cameras and impenetrable graphene body armour. Rob Coleman, director of Home Office\u2019s Centre for Applied Science and Technology, recently held a presentation \u2018Digitally enabled Officer of the Future\u2019 at a private event hosted by TechUK, with the aim to provide a glimpse into the future of British policing. There are various developments and pilots in the UK as well as the US.<\/p>\n

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\nPhoto credits: meunierd \/ Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Smart glasses<\/h3>\n

Motorola has developed smart spectacles that resemble the Google Glass wearable. They are designed for the enhancement of \u2018situational awareness\u2019. They will assist in gathering information about a crime or crime scene, even before the officers arrive. This could include Google Earth images or public involvement such as video footage sent from mobile phones and tweets or Facebook posts. The smart glasses will also enable the law enforcement officer to stay in touch with commanders and dispatch. They are fitted with a camera, which automatically takes a photo of what the police officer is seeing when a gun or other item is pulled from the belt. The glasses are also able to receive text messages which are visible on the lenses. This way, the police officer receives critical details without having to look away from the crime scene.<\/p>\n

Graphene armour<\/h3>\n

Another important area of research for use in policing is graphene armour. Made from a sheet of single carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb shape, the wonder material graphene<\/a> is the world\u2019s thinnest, strongest material which has incredible flexibility. Graphene can <\/span>withstand <\/span>blows that would punch through steel. Recent miniature ballistic tests suggest that the material performs twice as well as the fabric currently used in bulletproof vests, making it ideal armour for the protection of the armed forces as well as police officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smart belt<\/h3>\n

Apart from the exoskeleton and smart glasses, the police departments would probably also want their robocops to wear smart belts \u2013 a tool currently also in development by Motorola. It immediately senses when the police officer draws a gun, taser, pepper spray or handcuffs from the holsters on his belt and relays that information to dispatch backups. The sensor also triggers the specially designed smart glasses that automatically take pictures of the scene, as previously described.<\/p>\n

Body-cams<\/h3>\n

Body-cams, cop cams or on-officer recording systems are worn as a headset or attached to a police officer\u2019s uniform. These cameras are used to record the police officers\u2019 interaction with people. With the rise of police brutality and misconduct \u2013 a whopping average of 1.000 police killings per year in the US alone, the footage of body cams can serve as evidence of police encounters with the public. This is a win-win, as the body cams can prevent unreliable accounts of incidents, protecting the public against police brutality and abuse. At the same time, the footage can protect law enforcement officers against false accusations of misconduct.<\/p>\n

PredPol \u2013 crime prediction<\/h2>\n

PredPol is short for predictive policing, a tool which helps predict when and where crimes such as gun violence, burglaries and car theft are most likely to take place. This increases the odds of law enforcement officers stopping crime before it\u2019s even started. Predictive policing works with details from the past; which type of crime was committed, where it was committed and when it was committed. No personal information of individuals is used which eliminates profiling and privacy concerns. PredPol makes use of knowledge and experience that already exists from crime analysts and veteran officers and combines this with cutting edge analytics and computer learning technologies. This results in predictions which are 100% more effective than traditional hot spot mapping. Predictive policing strategies also include the collaboration between officers and the public in areas where crime is likely to occur, encouraging engagement in community crime watch efforts.<\/p>\n