A UK Police Force unlocks the power of their data and ensures public safety of their citizens with Simpson Associates

Overview

With over one million residents depending on them to keep them safe, this UK police force faces the daily challenge of safeguarding a diverse and growing population. From urban centres to rural communities, every decision and action must be swift, informed, and effective. 

Problem

With over 6.6 million crimes reported in the year 2023/24, it is no surprise that UK police forces are flooded with data daily. This, coupled with the increasing complexity of modern policing and budgetary constraints, demands the adoption of modern technology.  

Recognising the critical importance of warrant data in identifying and apprehending offenders, the police force knew they needed to optimise their operations. They were keen to improve the reporting and understanding around criminals on warrant by using the power of their data.   

The force is made up of several distinct teams, each with their own approach to viewing and sorting information. This lack of a unified data view, accessible to all teams and filterable to their specific needs, resulted in varying interpretations of cases across departments.  

To address this, the police force recognised they needed a single, reporting solution that would cater for all teams, from the criminal justice team to the offender management team to the operational police team, ensuring everyone had access to the same critical warrant information. 

Furthermore, to enhance public safety, they needed a consistent way of making informed data-driven decisions. The new reporting solution needed to supply them with in-depth context to support investigations and ensure no dangerous criminals slipped through the cracks. 

Recognising Simpson Associates’ shared commitment to using the power of data for good and their extensive experience, working with over 60% of UK police forces, we were selected as the police force’s data transformation partner.  

Solution

To address their challenges, Simpson Associates proposed a tailored Power BI solution that would utilise both warrant and custody data. Using this data, the policing team would be able to revolutionise their reporting capabilities and provide a comprehensive view of critical warrant data. 

To begin the process, both warrant and custody data was ingested into the force’s cloud data platform before being modelled into a best practice star-schema. Bringing these two aspects together these provided them with the detail they need to create a consolidated reporting view that was necessary to accelerate efficiency.  

In close collaboration, Simpson Associates and the police force consolidated their data into a dynamic, visual report. This report provided a detailed overview of high-priority criminals, including crime details and demographics. By integrating this information into a single platform, the force achieved a 360-degree view of the criminals they had on warrant, empowering teams to drill down into specific aspects of criminal behaviour with unprecedented precision. 

Our experts also integrated the Cambridge Harm Index (CHI) into the solution. By incorporating CHI, every department gained deeper insight into the nuances of each criminal case, transforming raw numbers into meaningful context. The integration of CHI scores empowered officers with a critical tool to gauge the severity of crimes, enabling them to prioritise cases with precision and ensure the safety of their jurisdiction. 

This comprehensive view not only helped identify patterns but also allowed teams to align their efforts, fostering a truly joined-up approach to law enforcement. By creating an accessible report and encouraging its use across all departments, the solution ensures full visibility throughout the force, making it harder for dangerous individuals to go unnoticed and supporting the paramount mission of ensuring public safety. 

With the report being updated frequently, officers could access reliable data without delays. This eliminated the need for time-consuming manual searches and reduced the risk of costly errors, such as wrongful releases. The solution’s ability to quickly retrieve relevant information saved valuable time and ensured that officers could focus on critical tasks, enhancing overall operational efficiency. 

By delivering a solution that combined advanced analytics with intuitive visualisation, Simpson Associates empowered the police force to work smarter, collaborate better, and protect the public more effectively than ever before. 

Key Benefits

• Flexible and Scalable Data: The platform’s newly modelled data serves as the backbone of the report, is adaptable for future use cases and provides seamless integration into other datasets, ensuring comprehensive insights for the team. 

• Centralised and Comprehensive Power BI Reporting: The solution consolidates warrant data from disparate sources into a single, unified Power BI platform, providing a comprehensive and interactive view of all the relevant information. This unified view allows criminal justice teams, offender management teams and operational teams to grasp the full scope of warrant-related data.   

• Streamlined Reporting: Teams no longer need to manually compile or reconcile data from disparate sources, saving them hours of valuable reporting time. The Power BI solution ensures officers have access to the most current information and can act promptly on critical information, such as identifying high priority warrants and apprehending suspects with a history of non-compliance.  

•  Expanded Power BI Opportunities: Leveraging the success of the warrant reporting solution, the UK police force can expand the use of Power BI to other critical areas, including custody reporting. This will further streamline operations, save time and optimise cost-effective benefits, ultimately improving data decision making across the whole force. 

• Enhanced Public Trust and Accountability: Utilising a robust Power BI solution that provides a comprehensive overview of all criminals on warrant, the force demonstrates a commitment to data driven policing and transparency. This helps safeguard the forces reputation by, minimising the risk of fines, negative media attention and legal challenges while building trust within the community.  

“Partnering with the police force on this data transformation initiative has been an outstanding example of how the right technology can drive real operational improvements. By implementing a tailored Power BI solution, we’ve helped them unlock the full potential of their warrant data, ensuring officers have instant access to crucial information. Our collaboration with them has ensured they are able strengthen public safety, through innovative data solutions, detailed reported and training.”

 

Dave Kerby
Blue Lights Account Director, Simpson Associates

Conclusion

In a world where data is both abundant and critical, this UK police force’s journey showcases the transformative power of data analytics in modern policing. By leveraging a centralised Power BI solution that harnesses the force’s crucial warrant data, they have not only streamlined operations but also strengthened their ability to safeguard over a million residents effectively. Further, by integrating tools like the Cambridge Harm Index, the force can now prioritise high-impact cases, reduce errors, and enhance collaboration across teams.  

This partnership demonstrates the potential of data analytics to address complex challenges. As the role of data in the police sector continues to grow, so does the importance of embracing innovative solutions to deliver smarter, safer, and more efficient policing outcomes.