Take Action Toward Technology-led Transformation
Citizens have made it clear that they want to support police in fighting and preventing crime, but that they need more information from police to do so. So what can police do to engage better with citizens and close the communication gap?
By adopting new digital technologies, police can create new communication channels to engage citizens and gather leads to support their investigations. Accenture policing specialists suggest a focus on four primary areas:
Improve information/data management – Accenture’s research and experience suggests that more than 75 percent of the processes required to track and respond to crimes are essentially the same around the world. Thus, there is a set of processes and capabilities common to all police forces—and these are underpinned by effective information management. An enterprise-wide view of information, which includes data integrated from partner agencies, not only prevents isolated islands of information, but also better equips law enforcement personnel to fight today’s sophisticated crime, rather than fighting the system.
Analytics – By managing and analyzing the digital information they receive from citizens, police forces can create valuable intelligence to prevent and solve crimes faster, support investigations and secure prosecutions. They can also reduce costs at a time of budget reductions. The key is to pull unstructured data and look for trends and patterns within that information. By harnessing the power of this data, a police organization’s investment in analytics can more than pay for itself.
Mobile tools – Mobile tools enable police officers to do their jobs with the right information, at the right place, at the right time. Such freedom liberates officers to access vital information in the field. Police officers can make decisions faster, and in real-time. The Guardia Civil in Spain, for example, has deployed 3,000 mobile units to allow officers to remotely access vital information anytime, and from any place.
Citizen portals – According to the Accenture research, the majority of citizens surveyed said they were likely to use a website or portal. Such citizen portals can provide a means for two-way communication between citizens and police, reducing cost, improving citizen engagement and public safety. Portals can also offer a layer of protection, for example key codes or pin numbers, so that citizen anonymity is protected. These unique identifiers offer citizens a means to share tips or access rewards without having to divulge personal information.
For more information about Accenture’s online citizen survey, or to learn more about technology-led transformation in policing, please contact:
Ger Daly
Managing Director
Accenture Defense & Public Safety
ger.daly@accenture.com
+353 1 646 2171
Manuel Sánchez López
Global DirectorAccenture Police Business Services
Accenture Defense & Public Safety
manuel.sanchez.lopez@accenture.com
+34 91 596 60 00