Powering prevention through collaboration & technology
Guest blog: Brendan Swarbrick, Executive Client Director – Ministry of Justice & Home Office at Sopra Steria as part of our #DigitalJustice2021 week
Impact of crime
The impact of crime reverberates across the whole of society. It could be a victim who is physically hurt due to an assault, a community scared to leave their property after dark due to anti-social behaviour, or a business owner unable to make a living due to thefts from a shop. With the undoubted economic challenges we are going to be faced with post COVID-19 the £59 billion cost of crime figure published by the Home Office also can’t be ignored. The criminal justice system exists to addresses the consequences of criminal behaviour in society but is that the right focus?
Prevention is preferable
There is nothing new about the concept that prevention is better than cure. Today we are living through one of the starkest examples in a generation that demonstrates the importance of prevention. Vaccination to prevent COVID-19 is clearly preferable than dealing with the resulting illness.
In the justice context, prevention is also considered as far more beneficial than dealing with the consequences of criminality and crime after the event. Tackling the upstream causes of crime however is an extremely complex issue involving social factors and vulnerabilities such as inequality, poverty, parental neglect, alcohol and drug abuse. Through its engagement with lived experience forum members the Revolving Door Agency use the excellent metaphor of ‘a knot’ to describe the complex and interconnectedness of these issues.
Coming back to the economics of crime, according to a report from the Ministry of Justice it costs the UK taxpayer over £44,000 a year on average just to keep someone in prison for a year. Consider this against a starting salary for a police constable, according to the Police Federation, of £26,199.
The reoffending challenge
There has rightly been a focus in recent years on rehabilitation of offenders in the justice system, the rationale for this is obvious, the most prolific offender is the reoffender. Nearly half of all adults reoffend within one year of release, this figure increases to 77% for children who have served short sentences of under 12 months according to a report produced by Prison Reform Trust.
Many people consider the role of prevention is about stopping individuals entering the criminal justice system however it’s clear that preventing reoffending is equally important.
The case for collaboration & technology innovation
Preventing crime requires collective action, it can’t be tackled by government alone it needs a more joined up approach across central government, police, schools, local authorities, NHS, private sector, charities and other organisations. The issues surrounding crime are so intertwined that it is unrealistic to think fixing any individual issue alone will result in a long term improved outcome so a more whole of system approach involving a collaboration of agencies is more likely to be able to undo the knot of issues.
Technology alone won’t prevent crime but it is a valuable tool that can be employed to help improve crime prevention. Robot police may sound far-fetched but they are already a reality in Dubai and China helping improve front line policing and crime prevention. AI is also a tool that has the potential to transform prevention. There is a saying that what is predictable is preventable, so having the ability to quickly sift large quantities of data to identify patterns and make rapid decisions based on the data will be hugely relevant.
Case study – The Ben Kinsella Trust
The Ben Kinsella Trust, is a leading anti-knife crime charity formed after the senseless killing of 16 year old Ben Kinsella in 2008. The trust educates young people on the dangers of knife crime and helps them to make positive choices to stay safe.
Using workshops to follow the journey of both the victim and the offender through a series of unique and immersive experiences to show young people how choices and consequences are intrinsically linked.
The trust already had strong links with schools, local authorities, police and other organisations. In 2019 the Ben Kinsella Trust and Sopra Steria formed a partnership with the aim of using technology innovation to help tackle knife crime.
One of the initiatives that we have piloted is a Virtual Reality interactive experience that allows young people to safely experience a challenging scenario involving peer pressure and understand the consequences of carry a knife in a safe environment.
Sopra Steria have also implemented a digital survey tool to capture and report on outcomes from the exhibition and helped the improve and extend the trusts social media engagement.
Georgina Henley
Head of Justice and Emergency Services, techUK
Georgina Henley
Head of Justice and Emergency Services, techUK
Georgie joined techUK as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager in March 2020, then becoming Head of Programme in January 2022.
Georgie leads techUK's engagement and activity across our blue light and criminal justice services, engaging with industry and stakeholders to unlock innovation, problem solve, future gaze and highlight the vital role technology plays in the delivery of critical public safety and justice services. The JES programme represents suppliers by creating a voice for those who are selling or looking to break into and navigate the blue light and criminal justice markets.
Prior to joining techUK, Georgie spent 4 and a half years managing a Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) in Westminster. She worked closely with the Metropolitan Police and London borough councils to prevent and reduce the impact of crime on the business community. Her work ranged from the impact of low-level street crime and anti-social behaviour on the borough, to critical incidents and violent crime.
Programme Assistant, Markets and International Trade, techUK
Jago Corry
Programme Assistant, Markets and International Trade, techUK
Jago joined techUK in July 2022 as a Programme Assistant to Financial Services, Justice and Emergency Services and International Trade. Prior to joining techUK, Jago studied an MSc in European and Global Governance at the University of Bristol.
Programme Manager, Health and Social Care & Justice and Emergency Services, techUK
Robert Walker
Programme Manager, Health and Social Care & Justice and Emergency Services, techUK
Robert joined techUK in October 2022, where he is now Programme Manager for Health and Social Care & Justice and Emergency Services.
Robert previously worked at the Pension Protection Fund, within the policy and public affairs team. Prior to this, he worked at the Scottish Parliament, advising politicians and industry stakeholders on a wide range of issues, including rural crime and health policies.
Robert has a degree in Politics and International Relations (MA Hons) from the University of Aberdeen, with a particular focus on strategic studies and energy security. Outside of work he enjoys activities such as running, rugby, boxing and cooking!
Georgina is techUK’s Associate Director for Local Public Services
Georgina works with suppliers that are active or looking to break into the market as well as with local public services to create the conditions for meaningful transformation. techUK regularly bring together local public services and supplier community to horizon scan and explore how the technologies of today and tomorrow can help solve some of the most pressing problems our communities face and improve outcomes for our people and places.
Prior to techUK, Georgina worked for a public policy events company where she managed the policy briefing division and was responsible for generating new ideas for events that would add value to the public sector. Georgina worked across a number of portfolios from education, criminal justice, and health but had a particular interest in public sector transformation and technology. Georgina also led on developing relationships across central and local government.
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Raya Tsolova is the Programme Manager for National Security at techUK.
Raya is responsible for all National Security related activities across techUK, specifically in the established programmes of Defence, Cyber Security and Justice & Emergency Services. Raya will leverage relationships with existing stakeholders across the three programmes, and will build new relationships between techUK and key stakeholders who are of interest to member companies.
Prior to joining techUK, Raya worked in Business Development for an expert network firm within the institutional investment space. Before this Raya spent a year in industry working for a tech start-up in London as part of their Growth team which included the formation and development of a 'Let's Talk Tech' podcast and involvement in London Tech Week.
Raya has a degree in Politics and International Relations (Bsc Hons) from the University of Bath where she focused primarily on national security and counter-terrorism policies, centreing research on female-led terrorism and specific approaches to justice there.
Outside of work, Raya's interests include baking, spin classes and true-crime Netflix shows!
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