The Use of Technology in Modern Policing

How has science and technology affected policing?

Since 1900 new science and technology has enabled police to work more quickly and to solve and prevent crime more effectively.

How has science and technology helped the police work faster?

Over time police adopted technology in 4 main ways to improve their speed:

• ❖ In 1900, police officers walked the beat and had a whistle to attract attention and call for help.
• ❖ In 1909, police bicycles were introduced, allowing officers to pursue criminals more quickly.
• ❖ In the 1930s, police cars were introduced to respond to crimes faster. Two-way radios were used to enable police officers to communicate with each other more easily.
• ❖ In addition, the 1930s saw the 999 emergency telephone number introduced to help the public contact the police faster.

How has science and technology helped the police solve crime?

Since 1900, there have been 9 key advances in forensic science and technology have been adopted by the police to help solve crimes:

• ❖ In 1901, a fingerprint branch was set up at the Metropolitan Police headquarters at New Scotland Yard.
• ❖ Also in 1901, it was discovered there are different blood types.
• ❖ Improved microscopes made it possible to find smaller quantities of blood at crime scenes to use as evidence.
• ❖ In 1980, the Police National Computer was launched, capable of holding the records of 25 million individuals.
• ❖ Improved DNA science led to the first murder conviction using DNA evidence in 1988.
• ❖ In 1995, the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System and National DNA Database were set up to share information that could be used to identify criminals. By 2015 the DNA profiles of 5.7 million individuals were stored.
• ❖ More recently, CCTV has been used to identify and help convict suspects in criminal cases.
• ❖ Additionally, new software can rapidly analyse video data to identify criminals, such as the automatic number plate recognition technology that helps catch those committing driving offences. This would take far longer if a police officer had to watch the video in real time.
• ❖ In 1900 photography was used to record crime scenes. Today improved communications technologies assist police by recording and sharing information directly from a crime scene using tablets and smartphones.

How has science and technology helped the police prevent crime?

Technology has also been used by police to prevent crime in 5 key ways:

• ❖ Breathalysers were introduced in 1967, enabling police to test drivers' alcohol levels at the roadside. The invention made it possible to catch more drivers drink-driving and acted as a deterrent to others.
• ❖ Speed cameras were introduced in 1991, helping catch more drivers who were speeding and acting as a deterrent to others.
• ❖ Closed circuit television (CCTV) helps prevent crime, as people are less likely to commit offences if they know they are being filmed.
• ❖ Computer software that enables mass video surveillance allows private companies to analyse large amounts of footage. It can help to forecast acts of terrorism and other crimes.
• ❖ Biometric screening uses unique physical characteristics, like fingerprints or eye patterns, to restrict access to data, places and buildings.