Trilateral Research is one of 18 consortium partners from eight countries that have developed over the past three years a community policing technical solution to strengthen collaboration between the police and the community as part of the EC project INSPEC2T.
Community policing (referred to as neighbourhood policing in the UK) is concerned with enabling citizens and communities to participate in policing. This may involve Law Enforcement Agencies simply providing information or inviting citizens to actively collaborate by reporting crime. With the media increasingly highlighting community issues such as gang crime, acid attacks, and hate crime, the INSPEC2T solution facilitates two-way communication between police and citizens and the opportunity for citizens to report local issues.
The INSPEC2T solution has been tested by police and citizens in five European cities (Belfast, Cyprus, Valencia, Groningen, and Preston) and comprises a mobile app, secure portal for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), a public portal for citizens, and the awareness-raising game “Resource Force”.
INSPEC2T partner, Trilateral Research is an SME specialising in research and the provision of strategic, policy and regulatory advice on new technologies, security, risk, and surveillance issues, and effective stakeholder engagement and dissemination strategies. Trilateral’s role in the INSPEC2T project involved:
- Providing bespoke advice to the technical team on the privacy and data security considerations and requirements for the design and implementation of the INSPEC2T solution
- Leading the assessment activities for the Preston test case, working in close collaboration with fellow UK partner Lancashire Constabulary
- Leading the dissemination and communication activities of the project
Jon Betts worked as an advisor in the project in his capacity as Police Detective Superintendent adviser to UK Home Office for Technology Development in Crime and Border Security then at the completion of his police service and supported the project as an end user subject matter expert.
Jon highlights how “this approach has allowed Law Enforcement and communities in the UK and beyond to identify the social benefits of greater community collaboration toward the goals of Community Safety by utilising bespoke, secure but agile communication channels as developed within INSPEC2T. I have no doubt that the INSPEC2T solution or derivatives thereof will develop further and become an integral part of keeping communities safe in the future whilst improving the relationship between the police and the society it serves.”
The INSPEC2T consortium included technical partners responsible for developing the different components of the solution, LEAs that have adopted and tested the INSPEC2T solution in their organisation, and research organisations and SMEs that have undertaken assessment activities and examined the privacy and data security considerations of the solution.
While the INSPEC2T project has officially been completed, Trilateral are continuing their efforts to conduct research on the role that new information and communication technologies can play for law enforcement agencies.
For more information please contact our team.
