PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(2 June 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of barriers to innovation and technology adoption across police forces; and what steps she is taking to break down those barriers to support crime prevention and prosecutions.

Asked by:
Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat)

Modernising policing to respond to increasingly digital and complex crime means equipping officers with the latest technology and access to accurate data. We are working with forces to understand barriers to technology adoption and we are providing support to raise capability across forces.

This is already underway through investment in the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser, which leads science and innovation coordination as part of national efforts to improve police technology, and drives innovation through pilot schemes.

The Government is investing record levels to support the police rapidly but responsibly adopt AI, with £115m committed over the next three years including for a new national centre for AI in policing and expanded use of live facial recognition.

The Government has also committed to supporting police to develop new data integration solutions, clearer decision making for policing data and develop national standards, which should reduce some of the barriers to adoption of technology.

Answered by:
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