After some years of inaction, there is now a healthy and increasingly inclusive conversation happening around digital ethics in policing, with some good work emerging from industry, academia and police organisations themselves. However, as our research shows, there is still great inconsistency between forces, and gaps in individual force’s approaches. Clearer national policy, guidelines and sharing of best practice will help address the inconsistency, and give forces some assurance in what action they should take. But operationalisation of digital ethics – consistently applied approaches embedded in key functions within policing organisations – will take more than top-down guidance. Forces will need to identify where their biggest risks and gaps are, prioritise action accordingly, and begin the process of updating organisational knowledge, policy, ways of working and governance accordingly. Responses also need to reflect force-specific relationships with their communities.
The digital modernisation that many forces are starting to embark on presents an opportunity to consider digital ethics more comprehensively. While Sopra Steria recommends a thorough examination of digital ethics risk in order to determine a more effective and cost-efficient digital ethics approach, forces need not wait for wholesale transformation to take action. Updates to data programmes or control rooms, or the introduction of any technology with which the public will interact present opportunities to start the process of embedding ethics.
We want to continue the conversation and hear your thoughts on this emerging area of research. Do get in touch with our Digital Ethics Practice if you're interested in learning more or sharing your opinion with us. In the meantime, why not answer our short quiz?