INSPEC2T

Effective community policing programmes are built on close communication between citizens and law enforcement agencies (LEAs), as they work together to solve crime. Dr George Leventakis, co-ordinator of the INSPEC2T project, tells us about their work in developing a new solution for community policing, including a mobile application for two-way communication

to community policing programmes, helping build trust between citizens and law enforcement agencies. While that can still mean a friendly chat with your local policeman while out shopping, the authorities are also keen to apply modern technology to community policing, an issue that lies at the core of the INSPEC2T (Inspiring CitizeNS Participation for Enhanced Community PoliCing AcTions) project’s research agenda. “The project aims to provide a comprehensive tool to facilitate communication between law enforcement and the community, especially in the framework of the various community policing programmes that are being implemented in different EU member states,” outlines Dr George Leventakis.

The level of citizen involvement varies across these different community policing programmes, ranging from simply providing information right through to influencing local strategic priorities, as Dr Leventakis explained during his interview with EU Researcher. The common thread across these programmes is the need for efficient communication between citizens and the police, which can help ensure the police operate in a way that reflects local priorities. “When law enforcement agencies establish more efficient and effective channels of communication with local communities, then they can assess risks, and build a deeper understanding of what is happening in that community.”

This forms the backdrop for the project’s work in developing a sustainable community policing framework, aiming to design, develop and test a set of technology applications. One important component is a mobile application for twoway communication, based on existing social media platforms, which will provide an effective way of reporting information. “With our mobile application people won’t have to ring an emergency number, they can instantly text the details of an event, or send a picture or video.” The application also offers protection against hoaxers providing misinformation. “We can correlate events and information. In order to validate information, we need proof from other people and other sources,” explains Dr Leventakis.

Researchers are also developing several other technology applications and modules to further enhance community policing. This includes a public portal with almost the same functionalities as the mobile application, a private portal for LEAs, and interface to Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems for bidirectional information The INSPEC2T team exchange; the project’s work provides a solid foundation for efficient reporting and analysis of information. “We’re also working on Case Based Reasoning and Multimedia Analytics, aiming to provide tools to the Police for analysing information. For instance, the pictures to be analysed from the Multimedia Analytics component may come from an uploaded picture from the public portal (accessed via the internet on a PC), not just from the Mobile App.”

This allows the police to target their resources more efficiently, an important consideration at a time of economic uncertainty when law enforcement budgets are being squeezed. One of the main advantages of the platform is its modularity. For instance, if a police department owns a sophisticated CAD system, this could be easily plugged in to the platform and used to exchange data. With more data available, police can build a more detailed picture of crime and disorder in the local community, and potentially even identify threats to law and order before they occur. “The system has the ability to identify the geo-location of an event, whether the information has been provided by text, or if it’s in a picture, image or video. The police can then analyse that data and identify the areas that are more vulnerable to crime, and reorganise their strategy and operating plans.”

There are clear operational benefits for the police from this system, yet this must also be balanced with a respect for civil liberties. Alongside their technical work in developing the system, Dr Leventakis says

the project also considers the wider social and legislative context in which it will be used. “We are trying to develop an effective solution, based on existing legislation in EU Member States around protecting individual liberty and freedom of expression,” he says. It’s also important that people can provide sensitive information without fear of being identified and potentially subject to reprisals, an issue of which the project is well aware. “People can provide information related to threats or incidents without giving any personal data.”

The overall solution will be tested and validated in five cities in four different counties across Europe, each with different policing traditions, priorities and Community Policing maturity levels. In some cities, volunteers and NGOs already play a major role in policing, while in others citizenry are less engaged; this diversity will be a strength in terms of testing, evaluating and improving community policing programme should be aware of these issues and address them appropriately.”

Encouraging citizens to get involved in community policing programmes and communicate with law enforcement agencies is an important element of this wider agenda. Serious games and gaming platforms are being used in the project to raise awareness of community policing and deepen community engagement. “We’re trying to pass key messages about interaction between law enforcement and citizens,” continues Dr Leventakis. This also acts as a way of training citizens and police in the use of social media and smart mobile applications, further strengthening relationships between the community and LEAs. “The more transparent you are, and the more information that you can pass to your stakeholders, the greater the levels of trust.” User consent is crucial to the consortium.

the system, believes Dr Leventakis. “There are different community cultures, there are different legislative environments, and there are different community policing programmes”, he says. A range of stakeholders will be involved in testing and validating the project’s technological tools. “Municipalities, local police, relevant NGOs and local organisations will be involved in our test cases.”

The issue of community policing takes on even greater importance in the context of the high levels of migration that some European cities have experienced over recent years, from both inside and outside the EU. People arriving from different countries may have different perspectives about the rule of law and the role of the police. “They have different perceptions of the police and different religious, social and cultural backgrounds. A local community looking to implement an effective

This is the foundation of effective policing, and underpins much of the project’s work. Alongside providing the means to report incidents, the system also encourages regular communication between citizens and police. “We offer community engaging communication where virtual communities can be created, including both citizens and police, to discuss issues, plan activities and raise awareness.” Rewards can provide a further incentive to citizens to pass on relevant information. “The system can provide information about active citizens, where they pass information that help the police solve crimes; a reward system can then be used.”

Researchers are now looking to move forward with the development of the system. “We have prepared and presented our prototypes and some mock-ups of our solution to our stakeholder advisory group and the external expert panel, now we are moving into the development and implementation phase.”

Inspiring CitizeNS Participation for Enhanced Community PoliCing AcTions (INSPEC2T)

INSPEC2T projects’ scope is to develop a sustainable framework for Community Policing that effectively addresses and promotes seamless collaboration between the police and the community.

The project is funded by the European Commission, under the “H2020-FCT-2014 Ethical/Societal Dimension Topic 2: Enhancing cooperation between law enforcement agencies and citizens - Community policing” call.

http://inspec2t-project.eu/en/partners-2

Project Coordinator, Dr Georgios Leventakis P. Kanellopoulou St 4 10177 Athens Greece T: +30 210 7710805 E: gleventakis@kemea.gr W: http://inspec2t-project.eu/en/

Dr Georgios Leventakis

Dr Georgios Leventakis (PhD - MBA - MSc.), is a qualified Security Expert. He holds a PhD in the area of Risk Assessment Modeling in Critical Infrastructure (CI) Protection, an MBA and an MSc in Risk Management. He has 22 years of professional experience in the public sector, of which 16 years in Security Management. He has participated in several National, European and International projects and initiatives regarding Physical Security of Critical Infrastructures, Border Management, (Land and Sea Border Surveillance), Civil Protection / Homeland Security technology & operations. He has participated as Senior Researcher in more than 45 EU research projects, authored several academic papers published in respective Journals or presented them at Academic Conferences.