Police Scotland’s new five-year Digital Strategy has been approved which sought a total £400m investment into a new digital era for Scottish policing.

Pushing for a shift from “doing” to “being” digital, the strategy is outlined around six key technology themes aiming to advance the current policing technical systems as well as introducing emerging technology.

Grounded in the use of data, the strategy aims to update legacy technology used throughout policing, make body-worn video cameras available throughout the nation, further investment in cybersecurity, and advance data evidence sharing.

New technologies meant to be included in policing include AI and machine learning, multi-cloud systems, real-time biometric analytics, augmented reality, and low-code application platforms.

“Our ambition of making the shift from Doing Digital to Being Digital will require a fundamental shift in the way we view and use technology and by engaging, involving and supporting the public and communities,” the report said.

Six strategic enablers underpin the five-year plan, including: data, data ethics, cyber resilience, people, sustainability, and investment and prioritisation.

Police Scotland highlighted some key crime data to rationalise the strategy, including a 1,262% increase in cyber dependent crime, a 511% increase in online child sexual abuse and exploitation referrals from 2015 to 2021, and a 17% increase in fraud in just the last 12 months.

Further, Police Scotland noted the aging population, rise in overall costs due to inflation, and the increased use of the internet across the population as key data driving the need for change.

“Police Scotland has an important role in modernising criminal justice to benefit the public we serve by introducing new technology, such as the establishment of a single national crime system, the greater use of video interviews, digital evidence sharing and virtual courts, and improved digital contact services for the public,” deputy chief constable designate Fiona Taylor QPM said in a press release prior to the approval of the strategy.

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While the increased use of body worn video cameras among police would increase public trust by 85%, according to the strategy report, other technology introductions will need to go through data ethics reviews.

The introduction of AI, ML, and live biometric analytics into policing has historically been met with protest from human rights groups, which often stipulate that the technologies are bias and invasive, putting people in danger of increased discrimination and privacy invasion.

In the EU, the new AI Act – which is set for its final approval after being ratified by the European Commission –  would ban the use of AI and live biometric analytics by law enforcement authorities due to ethical concerns surrounding its bias and privacy invasion potential.

The UK Home Office, however, has launched a market exploration into the use of facial recognition – a type of biometric analysis – into policing, which has been met with much pushback from human rights groups.

In the new strategy, Police Scotland has said that every new technology and its various applications will undergo a Data Ethics Assessment, which will include internal and independent scrutiny for “high risk projects”.

“When we do introduce new technology, we are committed to engagement with partners and the public so we can address any concerns and ensure the use of the technology is transparent, ethical, and aligned with our values of fairness, integrity, respect, and our commitment to upholding human rights,” Taylor claimed.