“For some time now,” says Professor Paul Taylor, “there’s been an emerging recognition that science and technology is becoming more central to efficient and effective policing. We also live in a world in which technology such as cyber and the Internet of Things, along with data and behavioural science are all part of the footplate of policing that contributes to a picture that’s very different to traditional policing of the past.”
Taylor is speaking as the UK’s first Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) in the policing domain. The newly created post at the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) – Taylor took up the position back in May 2021 – is funded by the Home Office, a UK government ministerial department, and was, according to Taylor, “warmly welcomed by the chiefs” who had been keen on the creation of a CSA position for “some time”. The job comes with the remit to connect science and technology expertise in the UK and globally to keep policing at the...