The Police Digital Service (PDS) has signaled an intent to develop an AI based data analysis tool to support investigations into cases of rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO).
It has published a prior information notice as part of a market engagement with potential suppliers of a tool that can dynamically identify and report predatory behaviour from purely text based information.
The aim is for the tool to gather sensitive information, with the automated element minimising interactions between colleagues, to support investigations and prosecutions.
The project derives from an awareness that victims of RASSO offences are being failed by the criminal justice system. In 2021 the Home Office published the End-to-End Rape Review with its conclusion that the vast majority of victims never see the perpetrators taken to court.
Technologies for improvement
This prompted a number of commitments to improve the investigation of RASSO, including the use of technologies such as AI based data analysis.
Tony Blaker transformation senior responsible owner at PDS, said: “We are conducting early market engagement to invite prospective commercial partners to participate in a scoping exercise to help us understand current market interest and capability to support delivery of a potential AI based data analysis tool to support criminal justice and national security system investigations.
“By continuing to explore how new technologies can be used to provide a safe, secure, and reliable capability to facilitate information gathering to accelerate decisions to proceed, charge and prosecute during highly sensitive cases such as rape and serious sexual offences, we can enable policing to deliver a better service to the public and victims of crime.
“The closing date for submissions from suppliers is 12.00 on 30 September.”
More tools
As yet there is no timeline for the development of the tool, but the publication of the notice follows an indication last year by PDS that it wanted to develop a number of tools to deal with RASSO cases.
It set up an Impact Lab for tech companies and stakeholders that presented four key challenges: improving the victim’s experience in the reporting and investigation of a case; extracting data from devices; reviewing and analysing digital evidence; and presenting digital evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, judiciary and defence teams more effectively.
