INTERACT (Investigating New Types of Engagement, Response And Contact Technologies in Policing)
Lead Research Organisation:
Edinburgh Napier University
Department Name: School of Applied Science
Abstract
Over recent years, the ways in which members of the public can contact the police have undergone significant change. Whilst much contact is still face-to-face, many police organisations have introduced different types of communication technology, such as online reporting of crimes and answering of queries, body worn video cameras, mobile data terminals, and the use of social media accounts. As a result, the public is increasingly likely to encounter policing in ways that are 'technologically-mediated'.
In the UK, the National Police Chiefs' Council supports this shift, and has a portfolio of work focused on developing technologies for use by the public to contact the police because, they believe, the public now expects that policing will be 'online' just as other services are. However, while attention is being paid to what technology can do, and particularly what it can do for the police, the public side of this encounter has barely been considered. Online reporting (for example) may appeal to some people, or be particularly useful for some crime types, but we do not know enough about how people experience these types of interactions to be confident that they will benefit everyone, in all circumstances. Nor do we know if and how these developments might affect the way people feel about, and act in relation to, the police.
This project therefore focuses on understanding the implications of introducing technologies into conversations between the police and the public. Two main objectives are to explore how members of the public feel about these new developments, and to consider the ways in which the police can and should design their systems to better reflect people's needs and expectations. PoLITiC is designed to include a range of different groups and individuals, for example those who are more and less confident using digital technologies, and those with particular access needs (for example the deaf community). We aim to shape policy and practice, with a view to improving service provision. We will work closely with three police forces, with various communities, and with national policing organisations, so that our findings can directly and positively influence what the police do, and therefore what the public are able to do to access police services.
We know that when people interact with the police they come to conclusions about how much they support the police, how good the police are at their jobs, and how much they trust what the police do. But this knowledge is based on research which assumes that most or all police and public contact happens face-to-face, person-to-person, as it has done for decades. At most a telephone may be involved. Given that this situation is changing, it is important that we reconsider our theories of public trust and police legitimacy, and explore if they are fit for purpose in the current environment and future-proof against new developments.
PoLITiC therefore aims to explore police and public experiences and understandings of technologically-mediated contact by using methods such as interviews, focus groups, and extended observations to gain a deeper understanding of these new forms of contact in action. To help us understand how experiences may differ, we will carry out our research in a variety of different locations (for example urban and rural) and will work with various communities. We will also consider what it means for the police to be 'visible' and 'accessible' in a digital age and assess how the public feel about the different ways the police can be seen and contacted. A series of on-line experimental studies will complement the qualitative methods, and allow us to estimate the causal effects of, for example, different forms of mediation on trust. Using a variety of methods our research will develop understandings of police legitimacy in changing times, and allow us to recommend ways for the police to stay legitimate in the eyes of the public in the 21st century.
In the UK, the National Police Chiefs' Council supports this shift, and has a portfolio of work focused on developing technologies for use by the public to contact the police because, they believe, the public now expects that policing will be 'online' just as other services are. However, while attention is being paid to what technology can do, and particularly what it can do for the police, the public side of this encounter has barely been considered. Online reporting (for example) may appeal to some people, or be particularly useful for some crime types, but we do not know enough about how people experience these types of interactions to be confident that they will benefit everyone, in all circumstances. Nor do we know if and how these developments might affect the way people feel about, and act in relation to, the police.
This project therefore focuses on understanding the implications of introducing technologies into conversations between the police and the public. Two main objectives are to explore how members of the public feel about these new developments, and to consider the ways in which the police can and should design their systems to better reflect people's needs and expectations. PoLITiC is designed to include a range of different groups and individuals, for example those who are more and less confident using digital technologies, and those with particular access needs (for example the deaf community). We aim to shape policy and practice, with a view to improving service provision. We will work closely with three police forces, with various communities, and with national policing organisations, so that our findings can directly and positively influence what the police do, and therefore what the public are able to do to access police services.
We know that when people interact with the police they come to conclusions about how much they support the police, how good the police are at their jobs, and how much they trust what the police do. But this knowledge is based on research which assumes that most or all police and public contact happens face-to-face, person-to-person, as it has done for decades. At most a telephone may be involved. Given that this situation is changing, it is important that we reconsider our theories of public trust and police legitimacy, and explore if they are fit for purpose in the current environment and future-proof against new developments.
PoLITiC therefore aims to explore police and public experiences and understandings of technologically-mediated contact by using methods such as interviews, focus groups, and extended observations to gain a deeper understanding of these new forms of contact in action. To help us understand how experiences may differ, we will carry out our research in a variety of different locations (for example urban and rural) and will work with various communities. We will also consider what it means for the police to be 'visible' and 'accessible' in a digital age and assess how the public feel about the different ways the police can be seen and contacted. A series of on-line experimental studies will complement the qualitative methods, and allow us to estimate the causal effects of, for example, different forms of mediation on trust. Using a variety of methods our research will develop understandings of police legitimacy in changing times, and allow us to recommend ways for the police to stay legitimate in the eyes of the public in the 21st century.
Organisations
- Edinburgh Napier University (Lead Research Organisation)
- West Midlands Violence Reduction Unit (Project Partner)
- Police University College Finland (Project Partner)
- Staffordshire Commissioner (Project Partner)
- Staffordshire Police (Project Partner)
- Police Scotland (Project Partner)
- Scottish Police Services Authority (Project Partner)
- Yale University (Project Partner)
Publications
Bradford B
(2025)
'To whom am I speaking?'; Public responses to crime reporting via live chat with human versus AI police operators
in Policing and Society
Bradford, B.
(2024)
What do the public expect from online crime reporting?
Skinner R.
(2024)
Deaf British Sign Language Users' Experiences of Technology and Policing
Wells H
(2024)
"Free Text Is Essentially the Enemy of What We're Trying to Achieve": The Framing of a National Vision for Delivering Digital Police Contact
in European Journal of Policing Studies
Wells H
(2022)
'Channel shift': Technologically mediated policing and procedural justice
in International Journal of Police Science & Management
| Description | INTERACT has developed new knowledge on technologically mediated contact between the police and public, with findings covering three key areas. 1. Diverse access needs and new forms of contact: Assumptions are often made about the wants and needs of the public in relation to technology in policing. When publics are not consulted, the police may be seen as the end-user of technology, not the public. Before implementing a new method or tool, more consideration should be given to the existing evidence base and to consultation and engagement with diverse publics. It is important to provide services that meet diverse accessibility needs throughout the process, for example for autistic individuals, and the deaf British Sign Language using communities that we engaged with. Technology is not a silver bullet but should be considered as one tool amongst a suite of broader accessibility processes in policing. Public needs and preferences vary. When it comes to contacting the police, sufficient 'channel choice' is crucial, including traditional (e.g. front desk and 999) as well as digital options (e.g. online reporting and live chats). Contacting the police (e.g. to report a crime) needs to be understood as one part of a larger process, rather than as separate from the rest of a journey to justice or some other outcome. 2. In-person encounters where technology is present: Technology is not neutral in policing encounters, and it is important to consider trust in technology, separate to and in combination with trust in the police. Police should be more transparent about where, how and why they are using technologies to interact with the public and should engage with the public at all stages of development, implementation and continued use (e.g. explaining why Body Worn Video is or is not being turned on and where possible allowing members of the public to have a say in whether or not it is used). 3. The use of AI in policing and developments to procedural justice theory: Who (or what) people interact with when they contact the police is important. Police work is inherently relational, and it is crucial not to design humans out of policing processes. For example, human-in-the-loop decision-making is vital for the maintenance of public trust. People are, on average, skeptical that procedural justice can be 'delivered' by machines. Exchanges with chatbots were consistently rated as less fair and respectful than exchanges with human operators. Our findings resonate with 'algorithmic aversion', a sense that machine-based decision-making is improper, unfair and/or untrustworthy. Police developments that use AI-based tools e.g. for call handling, need to be carefully thought-through and delivered alongside other options. People need to believe that their reason for contacting the police has been recognised by someone. This may mean a response and subsequent updates but must, at a minimum, involve an acknowledgement of their issue. People still want recognition in their encounters and do not want to be just processed by technology or handled by it in ways that are opaque or render them unable to 'INTERACT' with other humans. |
| Exploitation Route | INTERACT findings have implications for academic and practical understandings of procedural justice theory and technologically-mediated police public contact. The following recommendations have potential to help improve police strategies, policies and practices. 1. Instead of making assumptions about the needs of the public in relation to technology in policing, consideration should be given to the existing evidence base, undertaking public consultation, and engaging those with lived experience. 2. Services must meet accessibility needs throughout the process (e.g. language concordat services for deaf BSL users) and enhance awareness of accessibility needs (e.g. neurodiversity). Technology should be considered as one tool amongst a suite of accessibility processes in policing. 3. Given diverse needs, it is crucial to have sufficient channel choice for people contacting the police, including traditional as well as digital options. Consideration should be given to when and where it is appropriate to prioritise in-person police presence, and having discussions with the public about realistic expectations. 4. Contacting the police should be understood as part of a larger process and the end-to-end experience should be considered and evaluated. 5. Trust in technology is important for confidence in policing, so steps should be taken to increase transparency in police use of technology, to explain its use and to allow members of the public to have more of a say wherever possible. 6. Policing is inherently relational, so it is important not to design humans out of processes. Anyone reporting a crime should have a clearly identified option to speak to a human and it is crucial to make clear that humans (not AI) are responsible for decision making in policing. 7. Procedural justice should be emphasised at all points and new forms of interaction should be designed with procedural justice principles in mind. Two-way communications are beneficial, and recognition is important for people to feel their issue has been received and acknowledged by a person, ideally via a response and updates on their case. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Government Democracy and Justice Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | https://www.sipr.ac.uk/interact/ |
| Description | We have engaged with key police forces and UK bodies including the National Police Chief's Council (with leads across several relevant portfolios), Office of the Police Chief Scientific Advisor, Home Office, College of Policing and police inspectorates (HMICFRS and HMICS) and accountability bodies. Feedback from the Strategy and Policy Forum we ran in late 2024 with key organisations suggests that our findings enhanced their understanding of digital police public contact, with all participants expressing an intention to make changes as a result of discussions. For example, one force indicated that they intended to change their social media strategy as a result. Others said they would use learning focusing on the views and needs of the public (/adopting a person centric approach) to take forward strategic discussions nationally to focus on improving the 'journey' that members of the public experience when they contact the police. This is intended to improve public confidence. As a result of engagement with our work, national policing portfolios have also stated an intention to expand requirements nationally regarding accessibility, and to enhance police requirements for science and technology contracts. There is also potential to shape national guidance and authorised professional practice. These discussions have been supplemented by further presentations and meetings, including an invited presentation to the NPCC Digital Public Contact Portfolio meeting attended by over 100 national and force-level implementation leads. There is clear potential for our findings to shape policy and practice in a number of areas relating to technologically-mediated police-public contact nationally, for example the implementation of standard operating procedures for Body Worn Video and drones and decisions being made about the architecture and commissioning of digital public contact. For example some of our findings are expected to shape national guidance on BWV. We have been working with a large English force to help improve the wording of their communications with crime victims, for example follow-up emails and 'case filed' letters, to better embed principles of procedural justice. Our ongoing engagement with a key police force, including through a knowledge exchange session involving individuals in the senior executive team and those charged with delivering digital design, contact and developing operating procedures for the implementation of technologies such as Body Worn Video and drones, has facilitated connections with the force to enable evidence-based input that can influence police decision making that is currently being made regarding new technologies (digital contact, BWV, drones etc.) and their implementation in a manner which best serves the public. Similar engagement is in progress with other partner forces. In addition, beyond policing, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution Scotland (HMIPS) has taken an interest in our findings and cited our report in their review of how COPFS responds to enquiries received by National Enquiry Point, its customer contact centre. Our research has been cited in the section on understanding service user needs, highlighting that 'care should be taken to ensure service developments meet the needs and wishes of service users, rather than a means of shifting contact to channels which suit the organisation' and has shaped recommendation 5 'COPFS should seek feedback from service users about how well it responds to their enquiries and how best it can meet their needs. This feedback should be analysed and used to inform service improvements.' Our research was also referenced in the much-anticipated Police Foundation report into Policing and Artificial Intelligence, where it was cited as evidence that technologically-mediated police/public contacts are "clearly an area of risk as policing innovates around AI and public contact." (Police Foundation, 2025: 18). There is strong potential for our findings to enhance strategy, policy and practice in technologically mediated police public contact in a manner that positively impacts accessibility of policing as a public service to members of the public, transparency, aspects of fairness and procedural justice and ultimately enhances trust and public confidence in policing. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | HMIPS cited our report in their review of how COPFS responds to enquiries received by National Enquiry Point, its customer contact centre. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://www.prosecutioninspectorate.scot/media/zndp5ubm/responding-to-enquiries-29-january-2025.pdf |
| Description | Ongoing relationship building with National Police Service regarding target operating model for use of new technologies within the service |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Description | Impact Acceleration Funding |
| Amount | £3,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Keele University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2025 |
| End | 07/2025 |
| Description | Aston presentation on INTERACT project at Deakin University Australia July 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Liz Aston presented INTERACT findings at a Deakin Crime and Criminology Group Symposium at Deakin University in Melbourne Australia in July 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Aston presented INTERACT public experiences and expectations findings at ASC San Francisco 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Aston presented INTERACT findings 'Accessibility and trust: Public experiences and expectations of technologically-mediated police-public contact' at the American Society of Criminology Conference in San Francisco November 2024 to an audience including academics, PhD students, policing practitioners /policy makers other organizations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Bradford invited talk at Cumberland Lodge Police Conference on live chat reporting (AI Vs human police operators) June 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The INTERACT project was invited to present at the Cumberland Lodge Police Conference 2024. Prof Ben Bradford delivered 'To whom am I speaking?' Public responses to crime reporting via live chat with human vs. AI police operators'. The Cumberland Lodge conference is a " renowned conference (that) convenes an influential, cross-sector gathering of speakers and delegates to stimulate fresh thinking on key issues in policing. The conference is shaped by our expert Police Conference Steering Committee, chaired by Chief Constable Jason Hogg, Thames Valley Police, and is organised by the Police Foundation." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Bradford presentation at Stocholm Criminology Conference on crime reporting via live chat with human vs. AI police operators, 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Stockholm Criminology Conference 2024: Ben Bradford, 'To whom am I speaking?' Public responses to crime reporting via live chat with human vs. AI police operators'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Clayton Invited presentation on INTERACT Communities of Interest Findings at the Vulnerabilities & Policing Futures Research Centre Conference. September 2024. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Clayton was invited to presentation on INTERACT Communities of Interest Findings at the Vulnerabilities & Policing Futures Research Centre Conference in a panel convened by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research on 'the Burden for achieving access: serving deaf and autistic communities'. September 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://vulnerabilitypolicing.org.uk/reshaping-the-relationship-between-vulnerability-and-policing/ |
| Description | Clayton presented at a KE event with the Edinburgh Deaf Centre to share emerging findings on deaf experiences, May 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Clayton presented at a knowledge exchange event at the Edinburgh Deaf Centre to share emerging findings from the Communities of Interest part of INTERACT, focusing on the deaf experiences findings, May 2024.TAs well as knowledge exchange the purpose was to ensure validity of findings and communicate findings first to the communities most affected by our research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Conference Presentation. 'You've Been Framed' Professor Liz Aston. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Prof Aston and the INTERACT team were invited by Prof Marleen Easton to join a panel on 'Policing in a digitalised world' at the European Society of Criminology Conference, 23rd September 2022, Malaga. The paper was entitled ''You've been framed': Interactional Frames and Technologically-Mediated contact in Policing'. Prof Aston presented alongside colleagues from Belgium and the Netherlands. https://www.eurocrim2022.com/. Following ESC presentation Prof Aston was approached by Kris Henning at Portland State University and the INTERACT team invited him and his colleagues to present to the INTERACT team on their US based research on online reporting |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Conference Presentation. Drones in Society Conference. Sheffield University. Dr Will Andrews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Exploration of the use of Drones in UK police forces and their potential impact on matters of procedural justice, considering future implications of drone use in UK policing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Conference Presentation. SIPR Postgraduate Conference Dr Will Andrews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | 'Drones in UK Policing' presentation delivered by Dr Will Andrews to Scottish Institute for Policing Research Postgraduate Conference. Linking UK police force drone use to matters of procedural justice and setting out research objectives for exploration of this within the INTERACT project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Contribution to Police Foundation event on Contact and Confidence: Improving police-public interactions with technology. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Attendance at and contribution to Police Foundation roundtable on Contact and Confidence: Improving police-public interactions with technology, 15th November 2022, 15:00-17:00. Members of the team shared details of our approach to researching technologically-mediate contact between police and public and provided comment on the Police Foundation's approach and scope. We have since held a meeting between ourselves and the Police Foundation team to follow-up on this event. More details of the Police Foundation report are here: https://www.police-foundation.org.uk/project/contact-and-confidence-improving-police-public-interactions-with-technology/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.police-foundation.org.uk/project/contact-and-confidence-improving-police-public-interact... |
| Description | Dr Andrews presented to the Evidence-Based practice board of a partner force and updated the group on the INTERACT project on three occasions in 2023 and 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Will Andrews presented to the Evidence-Based practice board of a partner force and updated the group on the INTERACT project on: 16th June 2023, 9th October 2023 and 8th February 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| Description | Dr Arabella Kyprianides invited presentation at Yale on 'Exploring the impact of reporting medium on online crime reporting experiences: comparing live chat with human vs. AI operators' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Arabella Kyprianides presented 'Exploring the impact of reporting medium on online crime reporting experiences: comparing live chat with human vs. AI operators' at Yale conference 'Legitimacy in an online world'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Dr Estelle Clayton presented findings on INTERACT Communities of Interest findings at the British Society of Criminology Conference 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Estelle Clayton presented findings on Communities of Interest findings from phase 3 of the INTERACT project to a predominantly academic audience at the British Society of Criminology Conference, July 2023, University of Central Lancashire. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Dr Kyprianides & Prof Bradford gave presentations on INTERACT work to a workshop organised by a technology firm who are working with police forces on various online crime reporting. 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Arabella Kyprianides and Prof Ben Bradford gave presentations on INTERACT work to a workshop organised by a technology firm who are working with a specific police force and various other forces on various online crime reporting and related projects. Technology and senior police representatives and other members of the INTERACT project team (Aston and Andrews) were present at the workshop where the findings and their implications were discussed in detail. Further potential research and other collaborations were discussed, as were recommendations, implications and potential for enhancements to policy and practice. November 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Dr Megan O'Neill presented, "It's ok, I'm not using Facebook": Mitigating the effects of digital technologies on perceptions of procedural justice in police-public encounters. European Society of Criminology conference, Florence. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Megan O'Neill presented, "It's ok, I'm not using Facebook": Mitigating the effects of digital technologies on perceptions of procedural justice in police-public encounters. European Society of Criminology conference, Florence. 7th September 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Dr Wells and Dr Andrews presented INTERACT 'COVID, co-presence and police-public contact' to the School of Social Sciences, Keele University, 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 'COVID, co-presence and police-public contact' Dr Wells and Dr Andrews presented INTERACT to the School of Social Sciences, Keele University 6th December 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Dr Will Andrews presented '(In)visibility at Height: Drones, Policing & Procedural Justice' at the European Society of Criminology Conference, 2023, Florence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Will Andrews presented '(In)visibility at Height: Drones, Policing & Procedural Justice' at the European Society of Criminology Conference, 7th September 2023, Florence. The international academic audience were extremely interested, asking questions and followed up and provided potential links to shape policy and practice developments in this space. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | INTERACT Meeting with Public Protection, Force 3 , May 24. Discussion of findings as applicable to BWV use in Force 3 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Meeting with Chief Superintendent in charge of Public Protection, Force 3 , May 24. Discussion of findings as applicable to BWV use in Force 3, arising out of findings presented at Force 3 Evidence Based Policing Board May 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Invited presentation at Emerging Technologies event ran by the JREF [Joint (Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland) Research and Evidence Forum] |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation by Aston at Emerging Technologies RoundTable event in February 2022, ran by the JREF [Joint (Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland) Research and Evidence Forum] 'Policing is growing more complex as it seeks to respond to an increasingly diverse set of challenges, some of which are directly attributable to technological advances. Policing does not operate in a vacuum from the rest of society; as new and emerging technologies continue to change the way we live our lives, they are also changing how we access and receive critical public services such as policing. Additionally, as these new technologies develop at pace, public awareness and concern is growing regarding costs and benefits, ethical considerations and privacy concerns. This RoundTable event will explore some of the many considerations that will inform the adoption of new and emerging technologies across policing in Scotland in the years to come. It will draw on past experiences and lessons learned, seek to understand experiences from outside of Scotland and from other sectors, and consider key public interest areas and recent public opinion data at the Scotland wide level. This event is sponsored by the SPA and Police Scotland Joint Research and Evidence Forum, which was established in 2019. These knowledge exchange events are used to: ? Bring together expertise of police officers, academics, third sector and government; ? Explore innovation in use of both statistics and data in modern policing from a public benefit perspective; and ? Explore areas of future research and evidence-based public debate. You can watch the event live via our LiveStream and also submit questions and comments in the chat function - our panels will consider questions and comments arising in the chat. In the event that you are not able to attend, we will be recording the session and will make this available for viewing on the SPA website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.spa.police.uk/strategy-performance/joint-evidence-and-research-roundtables/new-and-emerg... |
| Description | Invited presentation by Dr Andrews at the Cumbria Constabulary Evidence-Based Policing Conference April 2024 on INTERACT key project findings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | INTERACT invited presentation, delivered by Dr Will Andrews at the Cumbria Constabulary Evidence-Based Policing Conference, 22-23/4/24. Presentation titled, 'Investigating New Types of Engagement, Response and Contact Technologies in Policing (INTERACT)' - presenting key project findings from Phase 2, 3 and Communities of Interest work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Invited research seminar presentation at George Mason University, USA. Dr Megan O'Neill "It's ok, I'm not using Facebook": Mitigating the effects of technologies on perceptions of procedural justice in police-public encounters. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invited research seminar presentation to the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University (Fairfax, Virginia, USA). Dr Megan O'Neill presented, Dr Charlotte Gill chaired. "It's ok, I'm not using Facebook": Mitigating the effects of technologies on perceptions of procedural justice in police-public encounters. 14 February 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | O'Neill presented INTERACT findings on technology in contact at ESC 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | O'Neill presented "The computer made me do it": A consideration of technology as an actor in police-citizen encounters. at the European Society of Criminology Conference 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | O'Neill was was invited in global scholar week to present INTERACT findings on technology in police-public encounters at the University of Leuven, 2024. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Prof O'Neill was an invited speaker, as part of the Global Scholar week at the University of Leuven. '"It's ok, I'm not using Facebook": Mitigating the effects of digital technologies on perceptions of procedural justice in police-public encounters', 19th November 2024.Prof Sofie de Kimpe (The Free University of Brussels) was a discussant, sparking debate about findings and broader relevance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Organisation of INTERACT Strategy and Policy Forum in London November 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | As dissemination lead Aston organised an INTERACT Strategy and Policy Forum Roundtable in London November 2024 to discuss digital public contact and the strategic, policy and ultimately operational implications of the findings of the INTERACT project. We focused on the key question of 'how should digital public contact be enhanced in order to impact on police legitimacy?' Short briefing papers summarising findings and recommendations from the INTERACT project were provided in advance to provide context. At the Strategy and Policy Forum we facilitated open roundtable discussion on key topics relating to digital public contact. The event was very well received and attendees commented that it had altered their understanding and they planned to make changes to their approach (strategy or policy documents for example) as a result. All attendees who filled in the short post event survey said their participation in the event had enhanced their understanding of digital police contact and many provided details of planned next steps (see 'impact narrative' section for details). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Organisation of the INTERACT End of Project Conference, Edinburgh June 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The event https://www.sipr.ac.uk/events/interact-project-conference/ included a mix of plenary sessions, including an opening keynote from Professor Tom Tyler, a plenary presentation on INTERACT from Prof Aston plus eight further presentations from the INTERACT team and six from colleagues working on related research internationally. Breakout parallel presentation sessions covered: Digital crime reporting; Body Worn Video; Public perspectives on technology; and Technology, visibility and legitimacy. It also included an interactive World Café session exploring the implications of this work. We received 87 sign ups and welcomed attendance from academics and non-academics (47 out of 87) i.e. policy makers, police practitioners, members of the public and other interested parties. The event received positive feedback 'an excellent project and a great event', with all those completing the post-event survey rating the INTERACT Conference 5/5 (68%) or 4/5 (38%). Highlights included the balance between content and networking/discussion, the World Cafe discussions and the choice of breakout presentations. Respondents expressed intention to incorporate learning and changes to policy/practice e.g. incorporating procedural justice into processes and staff training. The event was be signed in BSL and key discussions were be captured live by a graphic artist. The post event web page with presentation slides, recordings and images from the graphic artist may be found here https://www.sipr.ac.uk/interact-end-of-project-conference/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.sipr.ac.uk/interact-end-of-project-conference/ |
| Description | Plenary Presentation. Overview of INTERACT project. Professor Liz Aston |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Aston, L. (2022) 'A Just Future for Digital Policing' Invited plenary presentation at Future Scot's 'Digital Justice & Policing' Conference, 13th October 2022, Glasgow. In this invited presentation which was part of the closing plenary session 'The Future of justice Technology' Prof Aston took the opportunity to talk about the INTERACT project and its significance to a large audience comprising technology, policing, regulatory and academic partners. She was on the panel alongside speakers including Diego Quiroz and Dr Brian Plastow (Scottish Biometrics Commisssioner) and Prof Fraser Sampson of the Home Office https://futurescot.com/futurescot-events/digital-justice-policing-2022/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at British Society of Criminology Conference, Surrey. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of early findings from the project from phase 2 - expert and elite voices in digital public contact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation by O'Neill & Andrews NPCC UK BWV leads August 2024 to discuss emerging findings on BWV. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Megan O'Neill and Will Andrews presented (on Teams) to NPCC UK BWV lead August 2024. 'Voicing the police and voicing the public: emerging findings regarding frontline and public experiences of police technology'. Discussed emerging findings on BWV in Phase 3. They indicated that they are in the process of updating the national guidance on BWV and will be taking some of our observations into account when drafting it and asked to be kept in the loop with our publications and policy papers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation by Prof O'Neill at Stockholm Criminology Symposium, June 2024 on Findings from Phase 3 ethnographic research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation by Prof Megan O'Neill at the Stockholm Criminology Symposium, 11th June 2024. Stockholm, Sweden. Title: '"It's ok, I'm not using Facebook": Mitigating the effects of data-collection technologies on perceptions of procedural justice in police-public encounters'. Findings from Phase 3 ethnographic research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentations (x6) to Partner Police Force Senior Executive and discussion of policy and practice relevant INTERACT findings, February 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentations (x6) to Partner Police Force Senior Executive 29.02.2024,on policy and practice relevant findings to senior executive and police partners across the organisation from modernising contact, drones, Body Worn Video, local policing, etc. The INTERACT team presented on the overall project, insights from national and force-level strategic interviews re digital contact, emerging findings on frontline and public experiences of police technology such as BWV, findings from experimental study of public expectations of online crime reporting, emerging findings from the autistic community and deaf community and findings and on police drone use and visibility. The audience was highly engaged, asked lots of questions, fed back that they found the findings insightful and illuminating. The audience requested copies of the presentations, requested further engagement (including attendance at our final conference) and intention to use the findings to shape current developments to policy and practice. Speaking to the highest levels of the police force and those charged with delivering digital design, this presentation day has enabled connections with the force to enable evidence-based input that can influence current police decision making regarding new technologies. Feedback included: ' I would like to express our sincere thanks for affording us your time and importantly, access to your research and findings. The manner in which the session was delivered was really impactive and has unquestionably encouraged a deeper level of thinking across a number of business areas. Each speaker was fantastic and clearly articulated their research findings and made appropriate, evidence based conclusions.' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Prof Aston Presentation to Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Crime & Society Research Group (CRiS) on INTERACT Findings from Communities of Interest |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Aston was invited to present and discuss INTERACT Communities of Interest Findings to Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Crime & Society Research Group (CRiS) in Brussels in April 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Prof Aston presented a paper by Dr Estelle Clayton 'Voice, Trust, and New Technologies in Policing: Experiences of Deaf Individuals and Autistic Individuals' at the European Society of Criminology Conference 2023, Florence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Estelle Clayton 'Voice, Trust, and New Technologies in Policing: Experiences of Deaf Individuals and Autistic Individuals' at the European Society of Criminology Conference, 7th September 2023, Florence. The international academic audience was interested in the exploring the implications and hearing more. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Prof Liz Aston Raised awareness about INTERACT whilst Chairing Digital Justice and Policing Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof Liz Aston Raised awareness about INTERACT whilst chairing the Future Scot Digital Justice and Policing Conference 7/11/23 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://futurescot.com/futurescot-events/digital-justice-policing-2024/ |
| Description | Prof Liz Aston presented 'Free text is essentially the enemy of what we're trying to achieve': The framing of a national vision for delivering digital police contact. at the European Society of Criminology Conference, Florence 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The INTERACT team, led by Prof Aston organised a pre-arranged panel chaired by Prof Ben Bradford 'INTERACT: Investigating New Types of Engagement, Response and Contact Technology in Policing' at the European Society of Criminology Conference, 7th September 2023, Florence. Prof Liz Aston presented a paper led with Dr Helen Wells: 'Free text is essentially the enemy of what we're trying to achieve': The framing of a national vision for delivering digital police contact.'The international academic audience was highly engaged and some senior practitioners followed up afterwards for further information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Prof Liz Aston presented a paper led by Dr Megan O'Neill "It's ok, I'm not using Facebook": Mitigating the effects of digital technologies on perceptions of procedural justice in police-public encounters. American Society of Criminology Conference 2023, Philadelphia. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Prof Liz Aston presented a paper led by Dr Megan O'Neill "It's ok, I'm not using Facebook": Mitigating the effects of digital technologies on perceptions of procedural justice in police-public encounters. American Society of Criminology Conference 2023, Philadelphia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Prof Liz Aston presented at the American Society of Criminology Conference 'Free text is essentially the enemy of what we're trying to achieve': The framing of a national vision for delivering digital police contact. ASC, 2023, Philadelphia. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Prof Liz Aston presented 'Free text is essentially the enemy of what we're trying to achieve': The framing of a national vision for delivering digital police contact. American Society of Criminology Conference 2023, Philadelphia. The international academic audience were interested and made links. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Prof Liz Aston raised awareness about INTERACT in Chair's opening for online' Digital Policing Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof Liz Aston raised awareness about INTERACT in Chair's opening for Government Events online 'Digital Policing Conference 23/01/24 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.governmentevents.co.uk/event/the-digital-policing-conference/#event_agenda |
| Description | Professor Bradford and Dr Wells presented the findings of the project to the NPCC Digital Public Contact Portfolio |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation which covered the key findings of Phases 2 and 3 of the project, to an audience of those responsible for designing, procuring, and implementing digital forms of public contact in UK policing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Quarterly update presentations to a a partner police force's Evidence Based Practice Board |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Helen Wells and Dr Will Andrews provided quarterly updates on the project, its progress and indicative findings as a standing agenda item on the partner force's EBP. A short presentation was, on each occasion, followed by Q&A. This reporting began before the award was given, as it formed part of our stakeholder engagement and access negotiations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| Description | Wells Presentation of INTERACT findings at University of Western Sydney, Australia, September 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation by Wells to School of Social Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Australia, September 2024. General overview and high level findings. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | engagement with NPCC lead for contact management - Dr Wells gave a presentation and held a discussion on the relevance of the project for police policy and practice. 2023. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Engagement with the NPCC lead for contact management - Dr Helen Wells gave a presentation and held a discussion on the relevance of the project for police policy and practice. 9th October 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |