Opportunities for Data Science Innovation in the Policing Sector

According to Peter K. Manning, in Anglo-American societies, the purpose of the police is to "sustain politically defined order and ordering via tracking, surveillance, coercion and arrest" (2014: p.6). Consisting of several authoritatively coordinated and legitimate organizations (ibid.), the policing sector serves governments in protecting their communities, preventing crime and disorder, and ensuring justice (The Policy Circle, 2022). The police's position as acting in the communities' interest suggests that their functions are heavily dependent on public trust and societal consensus concerning social justice and fairness (Manning, 2014). While there are large numbers of police officers employed in Australia (67,200 in 2021), a number which is expected to increase in the future (Australian Industry and Skills Committee, 2022), Ransley & Mazerolle (2009) have argued that trends in public governance and regulation have caused the increased pluralization and privatisation of policing efforts. Nowadays, the policing sector thus constitutes a large network of private, public and welfare organizations geared at controlling and preventing crimes (ibid.). In this essay, I will thus focus on data science opportunities for a variety of stakeholders involved in ensuring public security and order.