An introduction to the 3PO Project
3PO is a 3-year project funded by UKRI (EPSRC Grant Ref: EP/W032368/1) under the Strategic Priorities Fund. It is part of the REPHRAIN network, which is a Research Centre of...
Protecting citizens with integrated public safety solutions
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and ranks among the top 10 most liveable cities in the world. One key contributor to this achievement is the Zurich City Police....
Next generation cloud technology is transforming communications in policing
Policing is under pressure: demand is at unprecedented levels, crime is rising, public confidence is diminishing and resources are stretched. To top it all, a new wave of leaders in...
Pointing the finger – towards a future for biometrics in Scottish policing
Not all suspects tell the truth, and identifying individuals suspected of crimes prior to arrest relies on being able to cross-check information they give about themselves. Advances in technology now...
Technology can put police in the picture
Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are already a common feature of policing in the UK, although they are not widely used in Scotland. A research team that I led has produced an...
County lines drug dealers under threat from sophisticated forensic analytics techniques
‘County lines’ criminality – where city drug dealers establish dedicated mobile phone or other forms of ‘deal lines’ to supply and sell drugs to users in towns and rural areas,...
Slight decrease in public sector fraud levels in Scotland, according to new audit
The overall amounts of fraud, overpayments and error in the public sector in Scotland have reduced in the last two financial years. New figures from Audit Scotland show that of the 132 Scottish bodies...
Police must ensure checks and balances in place before introducing body-worn video camera
Police must ensure appropriate checks and balances are in place before introducing body-worn video camera systems in Scotland, a new review of the technology has stated. Senior officers are being...
Body-worn video camera tech moves a step closer to policing frontline in Scotland
The use of body-worn video (BWV) on the frontline of policing in Scotland moved a step closer this week after a report on the technology was published by a key...
Code of practice governing facial recognition technology could be approved by autumn
A new code of practice governing the use of biometrics in Scottish policing – including controversial facial recognition technology – could be approved for use by autumn. Dr Brian Plastow,...
Public Sector AI 2026: May 21 2026
Digital Justice & Policing 2026: October 22 2026
