The CDEI has commissioned RUSI
to carry out independent research into the potential
for bias to occur in predictive analytics technologies
being developed by police forces, as part of our
wider review into
bias in algorithmic decision-making.
The CDEI and RUSI held a roundtable last week which
brought together police forces, civil society
organisations, academics and policymakers to discuss
the use of algorithms in policing, the potential for
bias and how the regulatory and governance environment
can be improved. This followed a roundtable held
earlier in the week, in partnership with TechUK, to
explore the role of technology providers in this space.
The roundtable
Attendees at the roundtables discussed a wide range of
issues including:
-
Benefits and risks of predictive analytics in
policing: One of the benefits discussed
was the potential for predictive analytics to help
police better-manage and gain insights from their
data. However, the potential for biased outcomes
against certain groups (if the algorithm were trained
on historic police data) was noted as a risk.
-
Impact on individuals’ civil liberties and
human rights: We discussed the
important implications these technologies can have,
if unchecked, on individuals’ civil liberties and
human rights. There was consensus on the need to
conduct meaningful public engagement before rolling
out these tools, in particular with the groups most
likely to be affected by them.
-
Challenges of sharing data across
agencies: We discussed the need for
police to work with local authorities in order to
have access to greater datasets and develop tools to
provide a better picture of trends, such as the
drivers behind youth violence. Nonetheless, many
attendees stressed concerns around how this could
lead to further surveillance, data protection issues
and be challenging to implement in practice.
-
The need for a consistent, nation-wide
approach: The importance of consistency
in developing this technology was emphasised. There
were different views in the room about which body
would need to drive this approach, but there were
strong calls for clearer oversight and governance in
this area.
Next steps
The CDEI will use the findings of this research to
co-develop, with the policing sector, a code of
practice for the trialling of predictive analytical
technology in policing. The code will seek to mitigate
algorithmic bias and address wider ethical concerns.
RUSI will publish initial research findings in
September, with CDEI’s draft code of practice
circulated for consultation with stakeholders in
October. The CDEI will publish its final report on the
review into bias in algorithmic decision-making,
including recommendations to the Government, in March
2020.
