62% of citizens think increased use of technology by police, border agencies and government as a whole will make them more secure. ”What do Citizens want – Accenture Research, 2018”
55%“of citizens agreed with the following statement: “[Police] will need to keep up and be able to stay one step ahead of the online criminals.” in response to the question “Over the next 10 years, technology trends will influence the types of crimes being committed (e.g. hacking of personal data, online financial fraud, online bullying etc.), as well as our communities and how we live. How do you think your expectations of the Police might change as a result?”. “Crowdsourced Citizen Research – Deloitte 2019”
More than 90% of reported crime now has a digital element. Often this involves the police investigator retrieving evidence from digital devices and this includes social media, mobile phone applications and the Internet. “Internet Intelligence and Investigation (III Project) Full Business Case –Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime” [link no longer exists]
For almost all types of organised crime, criminals are deploying and adapting technology with ever greater skill and to ever greater effect. The number of organised crime groups that are involved in more than one criminal activity (poly-criminal) has increased sharply over the last years (45% in 2017 compared to 33% in 2013). “Crime in the age of technology – Europol’s serious and organised crime threat assessment 2017”, (Crime in the age of technology – Europol’s Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2017 | Europol (europa.eu))
The Home Office invested £600,000 in Project Arachnid, software that can be deployed across websites, forums, chat services and newsgroups to instantaneously detect illegal content. “Serious Violence Strategy – HM Government” (Serious Violence Strategy – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
According to Jack Clark, Policy Director for OpenAI, much of the worries [OpenAI] have about the future of media relate to the increasing ease with which we’ll be able to cheaply create ‘fake’ rich media and use this to mount public opinion campaigns which could accentuate societal divisions, or cause political destabilization. “Written testimony of Jack Clark, OpenAI, for The National Security Challenges of Artificial Intelligence, Manipulated Media, and ‘Deep Fakes’ Hearing – House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence ”, (https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/clark_deepfakes_sfr.pdf)
“Police Funding for England and Wales 2015 to 2019”, July 2018, Home Office Statistical Bulletin
