Experts have warned that oversight of artificial intelligence in policing must keep pace with its growing use after the Metropolitan Police was urged to embrace new technology to improve frontline policing.
Speaking at the “Policing for London in the Age of AI” summit at City Hall this week, academics, campaigners and policing leaders said artificial intelligence has the potential to transform policing but stressed that stronger safeguards are needed to maintain public confidence.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has previously highlighted AI’s potential to help officers by processing evidence more efficiently, allowing more police to spend time on frontline duties.
However, speakers at the summit argued that there is currently no comprehensive framework overseeing how police forces use AI technologies.
Ruth Ehrlich, from human rights organisation Liberty, said: “The starting point is getting justice for the people these systems are meant to serve. “As it currently stands, there is no overarching framework for how police use technologies. We need to make sure regulation is in place so it can deliver for victims.”
She warned that historic policing data could reinforce bias if safeguards are not introduced.
“The problem with bias starts with the data itself. Communities subject to historic over policing are overrepresented. We need a robust and independent regulator to prevent this; it’s why oversight is so important,” she said.
Professor Marion Oswald, of Northumbria University, said AI could fundamentally change traditional policing methods.
She cited remote weapons detection technology as an example, arguing that it reverses the traditional principle of officers first forming reasonable suspicion before carrying out a search.
She said: “Governance and oversight are essential; they’re not an inconvenience.”
“We all need to remember why we are there – not to save ourselves time and be efficient, but to get justice for members of the public.”
Professor Oswald added that any deployment of AI must protect fair trial rights, command public confidence and represent value for money.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has previously acknowledged both the opportunities and public concerns surrounding AI. He said innovation must remain transparent and retain the trust of Londoners, adding that the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime would continue overseeing how emerging technologies are used by the Metropolitan Police.
Deputy Mayor for Policing Kaya Comer-Schwartz echoed those concerns during the summit.
She said: “AI is no longer a future issue, but a present reality that society is grappling with.”
She added that while technology could help tackle crime and improve policing, public trust could quickly be undermined if Londoners did not understand how AI was being used or what safeguards were in place.
“Principles of fairness, accountability and legitimacy require conversations about how we work through these challenges,” she said.
