Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 59
59
Accepted
New policing technologies introduced without adequate consideration for racial bias or community confidence.
Conclusion
New policing technologies have developed in the decades since the Macpherson report. These technologies, which clearly could not have been considered by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, have given rise to similar kinds of issues about the importance of sustaining confidence among minority ethnic communities, avoiding racial disparities and ensuring fairness in policing. Too often we have seen evidence of new measures or technologies being introduced without sensitivity to the potential impact on race disparities or community confidence. It is vital that police forces, policing institutions and the Home Office have systems in place to ensure that new technology or new measures are implemented fairly, without racial bias and without widening unfair racial disparities. (Paragraph 465
Government Response Summary
The government agrees it is vital to have processes and governance for fair and proportionate use of new technology, and commits to working with policing partners to support the development of a national ethics framework for policing. This framework is expected to underpin high-quality impact assessments for new technology applications.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Home Office continues to support the police to ensure they have the powers, tools and technology they need to support communities and tackle crime effectively. The public rightly expects the Government to support operational partners in making use of technology to tackle serious harm such as knife crime, rape and serious sexual assault, child sexual exploitation, terrorism, and other serious offences. The Home Office will therefore back and empower the police to use new technologies to tackle crime in a way that maintains public trust. As part of this commitment, it is vital that there are processes and governance in place to ensure that new technology is used fairly and proportionately. The Home Office supported the appointment of the National Policing Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Paul Taylor (CSA), who took up post in June 2021, because ensuring that all technological developments in policing are based on good evidence and the best understanding of science is crucial. Professor Taylor chairs a police science and technology investment board, which demands rigorous quality assurance of all proposals. Professor Taylor is also represented on the relevant NPCC committees and is developing national research and development guidance with the College. The Home Office also supports the adoption of artificial intelligence procurement guidance produced by the Government Office for Artificial Intelligence and, more broadly, the principles of open science. Inclusive Britain also sets out a series of concrete actions across Government and the wider sector to harness Artificial Intelligence for an inclusive future. The Home Office will work with the NPCC, the College and the police to support the development of a national ethics framework for policing. The Home Office expects this framework to underpin the need for high-quality impact assessments and be applied to all new applications of technology and data processing intended to support operational decisions that have significant implications for individuals. The way in which people lead their lives is becoming increasingly digital and this is changing society, criminality, and the communities policing serves. The Government will support innovation to confront ever more sophisticated criminality, protect people from harm and enable police to work effectively and efficiently in a rapidly changing world.