Thames Valley Police granted £400k for hi-tech data-led projects

Thames Valley Police has received a £400,000 fund to trial new projects using new technology and data.
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Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the area announced this morning (16 June), that Thames Valley Police has received a slice of the National Police Chiefs' Council STAR (Science, Technology, Analysis and Research) Fund.

One project set the receive additional financial support is a scheme trialling predictive mapping, which is receiving £109,145.

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Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew BarberThames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber
Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber

The PCC says the technology will be used to support behavioural change outcomes across youth justice.

Matthew said: “I am delighted to see that my office has benefitted from the STAR Fund, providing important investment in the reduction of crime across Thames Valley.

“I look forward to seeing the outcomes from this funding, and the impacts they will have on our communities.”

Thames Valley Police will be using technology called InterACT for problem solving purposes.

A spokesman for the PCC said: “Working with our network of community safety partners, we aim to test, train and apply the approach for use in real time.”

The project collects data from video testimonies from people impacted by youth crime.

In total, £255,266.88 will go towards improving the technology called Prediction of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which will be used to prevent violence.

Stan Gilmour, director of the Violence Reduction Unit, which will operate the TBI, said: “I welcome today’s funding announcement received from the NPCC’s STAR Fund.

“With this funding, the Violence Reduction Unit will be able to make improvements in data capture by frontline staff, as well as having access to cutting edge investigative tools aiming to reduce harm and prevent violence.”

Other ‘advanced analytical activity’ which will be assessed, this will influence frontline policing, the PCC says.

A spokesperson for the PCC concluded: “TBI is prominent in cases of violence, both as a cause and an outcome.

"By building on preliminary and published results, demonstrating its validity in the context of paramedic information, a software tool will be developed to predict the likelihood of a given head impact scenario leading to a clinically assessed trauma.”

STAR funding is overseen by the Police Science, Tech and Research Board.