With the festive break seeming an age away now, we hope everyone has had a successful start to the year and 2024 so far has been kind. Bots and AI KIM have had a busy start to 2024, both project wise and with research and development. Amongst this R&D we have been taking a look at how organisations, and our platforms, could create efficiencies by embracing the use of Bots (Robotic Process Automation). This technology is extremely helpful where staff time is being taken up by repetitive, mundane tasks, that are particularly resource heavy, and creates efficiencies - which give staff back the time to continue with other more complex or important issues.
During conversations with customers It has become apparent that there is confusion around what is a Bot (RPA) and what is AI? RPA can be used where a process can be defined and fixed rules can be followed to complete this. This automation helps carry out easy day-to-day tasks, independently, which previously required individuals to perform them manually. Some of these tasks may include calculations, inputting data, addressing queries or executing end to end digital processes. This kind of technology, aside from providing efficiencies, can create no error outcomes for the assigned tasks. Correctly deployed, RPAs can actually lower risk by removing human error. Due to the fact that RPAs access systems in the same way as regular users, organisations can be confident that a detailed audit trail of actions will be left behind. Essentially, the difference between RPA and AI is that AI is a projection of human intelligence by technology and is data-driven while RPA is a software application that mimics human behaviour and is process driven.
These RPAs really can provide huge time savings, should this be of interest to any of our customers we are more than happy to provide further detail and discuss fitting these to processes. Professional Development We have been working hard with a couple of forces to increase staff engagement with their PDR process. We have visited Forces and had long discussions and workshops to understand the best functionalities for HR processes and user satisfaction. We recently undertook a large piece of work to develop solutions to these findings. We have now improved the look, feel and flow of the system. Additional functionalities were added - brought about by the helpful feedback received from our customers, helping to keep the platform efficient, effective and relevant. The latest additional development works are coming to fruition and the latest upgrade will be ready for customers to take in time for the new PDR year. Victim Support KIM have further given time to producing a solution for Victim support and our ongoing attendance at conferences and key agency meetings, both at national and local level, together with listening to victim’s lived experiences, have provided us with further innovative ideas providing for a digital solution that sees the bringing together of those key partners, to include the Police and Local Authorities, enabling them to better manage the Victim’s journey and aid a positive outcome for the victim and law enforcement. With rapid response video for instant support and triage,
to case management, including all agencies (whether external or internal), the system provides for the most efficient and effective circle of support to be provided. We have been busy providing demonstrations of the platform countrywide this past couple of weeks, to Police Forces and Local Authorities, and have received a really positive response. We will be attending our next event, in London, for the multiple agencies involved with supporting victims on the 16th April, where we will be providing a key note speech and will be available to demonstrate and provide further information. Please do get in touch if you would like the attendance details. (Laurak@kimsp.com) Subscribers to the Policing Insight magazine may be interested to know that they are soon to publish an article that we have written, the article’s content is focused on the importance of multi-agency cohesion benefiting victim support. Legacy Data As you know we love a data puzzle to sort through and as always, in the background to other projects, our developers - who specialise in this area, have been squirreling away cleansing and migrating data that is sat within legacy databases. We are aware that there is an immense number of legacy systems that are sitting within organisations, held together with aged technology and un-supported, holding data that needs to be cleansed and migrated to either existing supported systems or newly
developed ones, so please do get in touch should you need some helpful consultancy with any data projects. Innovative Development As mentioned in previous quarters, our work around case file preparation and crime scene capture is still ongoing and configurable solutions are there for discussion should there be a requirement to find efficiencies in either of these areas. Crime File Management We are excited to have had further interest in our Records and Archive system, which is currently used by various Police Forces to include The Met. This platform manages records in accordance with data protection principles, with retention functions including MOPI. We always enjoy these implementation projects and engaging with business and practitioners to ensure processes are captured in configuration to ensure the best use of resources and realise efficiencies. Delivering Efficiencies Finally, we have just finished a large scope of works for the Home Office and this development saw us deliver this within budget and proposed timescales. We always pride ourselves on providing reasonable quotes and achievable, realistic project times and are always proud to deliver work that we promise within the time and the cost indication provided at the outset.