"I could imagine this sort of thing being really useful"
Police forces in the UK are trialling artificial intelligence to transcribe victim impact statements, a decision that has sparked criticism from campaigners and victims.
Hertfordshire Constabulary has piloted the Anathem Digital Assistant to generate documents from witness statements and interview notes.
The AI tool claims it will save officers an hour a day and reduce victims’ waiting times.
But a rape victim has criticised the move, arguing that AI should not handle such sensitive information.
The woman, from Dartford, Kent, said: “How could you trust it was taking down what has been said?
“You disclose the most personal and sensitive information to police on a basis of trust. If there’s some AI transcribing and recording it, that would put me off.”
Peter Bleksley, a former Metropolitan Police detective, also voiced concerns.
He said: “I am not keen on this as policing is not an exact science. It’s about human beings and intuition.”
He added that the prospect of AI replacing police officers was worrying.
The technology can also analyse video footage, financial transactions, social media and other documents.
Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said:
“I could imagine this sort of thing being really useful for cold case reviews.”
West Midlands Police is already using AI to prioritise vulnerable people calling their non-emergency number.
The force said: “All non-emergency calls are now analysed and those at risk of domestic violence or of harming themselves, or reports of missing children, are helped more quickly as a result of the new system.”
Meanwhile, South Wales Police plans to deploy live facial recognition cameras in Cardiff during this year’s Six Nations.
The cameras will be placed at “key points” across the city centre and will alert officers to anyone on a predetermined watchlist.
AI has already been used to monitor crowds at football matches, but critics claim the technology threatens privacy.
Madeleine Stone, Senior Advocacy Officer at Big Brother Watch, said:
“Embedding facial recognition surveillance in a city-wide CCTV network represents a shocking expansion of police surveillance, and turns Cardiff into an Orwellian zone of biometric surveillance.”
In March 2024, the National Police Chiefs’ Council appointed its first lead officer for AI.
Temporary Chief Constable Alex Murray said: “AI offers huge opportunities for policing.
“There is always more demand for policing than it can supply and AI helps release officer time so they can concentrate on those who need them most.
The public can be assured that AI is not replacing officers.
“Police will remain at the heart of everything we do because violent disorder, domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation for example, will always need a trained human officer to interact, offer support and make the final decisions and that will never change.”
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