Police pilot advanced data platform to tackle serious and organised crime

As part of a Home Office-funded pilot, the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) has contracted Palantir Technologies to test the need for a capability, such as that provided by its advanced data platform, Palantir Foundry.

The pilot, dubbed ‘Project Nectar,’ was initially launched within Bedfordshire Police, and is designed to assess how this type of technology can support and enhance operational policing.

In doing so, policing teams are provided with a single, unified view of data, which has been collated from multiple sources – data that officers and staff would traditionally gather manually.

The platform can then be used to automate time-consuming manual processes, as well as leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to support key actions such as data summarisation and language translation.

The pilot will evaluate how this technology could support faster response times, more effective investigations, and more efficient resource allocation.

Assistant Chief Constable Diane Coulson, of EMSOU, on behalf of the project said: “We are working under strict guidelines to improve how we investigate serious and organised crime, to help keep our communities safe.

“This pilot starts to address the data and resourcing challenges policing is currently facing, with an aim of trying to overcome them.”

Project Nectar is working to enhance the useability of existing, legally accessible information, ensuring compliance with national guidance. It has robust oversight through checks, balances, and independent review.

“It would be remiss of us not to explore the opportunities that this type of technology can bring to policing,” ACC Coulson added. “We are ensuring that every step is taken responsibly, with a real person always in the decision-making loop.

“We will be comparing new data-driven insights and machine learning processes with traditional methods, to understand how we might be more effective in our work and identify potential cost savings.”

The pilot is part of a broader national effort to explore the responsible use of technology and AI in public services.

While specific operational business benefits of the project will remain confidential due to the nature of the work being undertaken, it is anticipated that the findings from this pilot will help shape the future national approach to the use of data federation platforms, advanced analytics and AI in policing - ensuring that innovation continues to serve the public interest while upholding the highest standards of accountability and ethics.