2050 policing; an imagining

Editorial: Grant Condon and Acting Superintendent Justin Goldsmith

Illustration: Naomi Veldhuizen

Inspired by Roger Harvey's 1989 article 2020: Police Odyssey, Police Life has again made predictions as to what policing could like 30 years from now.

It’s 9.30pm, 6 October 2050 and a Victoria Police patrol car whirls quietly down a suburban street, the solar-powered streetlamps above flicker by.

As the vehicle passes a row of new houses, each almost built entirely out of a recycled material precisely produced by a 3D printer, eliminating the need for screws, nails and other binding materials, senior constables Sarah Haines and James Harvey are busy at work.

Sen Const Haines is scanning the vehicle’s inbuilt computer, where every ongoing emergency incident is displayed on a map on the screen, along with the location of responding units.

Meanwhile, Sen Const Harvey is keeping his eye on the streets – there are some things technology can’t replace, a trained police eye being one.

But he is wearing his police-issued smart goggles. They’re an ultra-strong, light-weight eyepiece and look like ordinary glasses. They can automatically brighten visibility in lowlight areas and have forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and night vision technology inbuilt for the darkest of locations.

Neither of the officers are driving. The totally automated electric vehicle is set on ‘patrol mode’ and is utilising artificial intelligence to interpret both historical and live crime data to determine the locations police are most needed or where and when a crime is most likely to occur.

If an incident is recorded on police systems, the officers in the vehicle can select the location on the inboard computer and the vehicle will automatically travel the most direct route to the scene.

When in ‘response mode’, other automated vehicles – about 85 per cent of all private vehicles on the roads – respond to sirens and computer transmissions, immediately moving out of the way of emergency services vehicles.

Automated vehicles also immediately respond to a police vehicle’s ‘intercept mode’ when activated, as is the case when senior constables Haines and Harvey elect to pull over the vehicle travelling in front of them.

The person in command of the vehicle doesn’t match the photo of the list of registered owners that appears on the automatic vehicle recognition system.

“He looks a bit young,” Sen Const Haines says to her offsider.

A person in solo control of an automated vehicle needs to be 16 years of age or older.

As they exit the vehicle to speak to the driver, the officers’ body-worn cameras detect the pair have left the vehicle and vision is automatically livestreamed back to a control centre for supervision and recording in case an offence is detected.

At the same time, the two officers press a small button on the shoulder of their vest. The vest, a lightweight, bullet and stab proof garment, illuminates with light so the pair is clearly visible to passing traffic. The decision to illuminate the vest sits with the officers. If they need less visibility for tactical reasons, the non-reflective material remains at its neutral colour.

Their uniform underneath is a flexible, lightweight exoskeleton with heating and cooling technology built inside.

The 17-year-old driver is in the clear, it’s his dad’s car.

While beside the vehicle, Sen Const Harvey taps the small bracelet-like band on his wrist.

A screen beams from the device and Sen Const Harvey enters the details of the intercept by motioning his fingers across the projection. He taps his wrist again and the screen powers down.

As they walk back to their patrol vehicle, the two senior constables get a message through their wireless earbud receivers, the signal comes via a small transistor embedded in their police vests.

The message informs police a large fight has broken out at a popular nightclub precinct. Crimes like burglaries have dropped dramatically with the improvements of security systems, CCTV and facial recognition systems, but, as they always have, crimes against the person still demand a police response.

The officers respond on the encrypted police channel with a simple tap on their earbud receiver before speaking.

Once the officers have confirmed they are responding, the location of the incident is automatically loaded into their car’s navigation system.

Before they leave, the officers remove two drones from inside the vehicle. The drones have also received the location and immediately fly off in its direction.

One drone will do a preliminary scan of the incident scene, recording any activity and the location of possible evidence.

The other, equipped with FLIR and night vision capabilities, will search for any person or vehicles at the location. Officers can view the livestream vision of both drones from their vehicle or wrist computer and then select which person or vehicle they want the second drone to follow.

While in transit to the crime’s location, Sen Const Haines brings up the CCTV footage from the incident scene on a screen projecting from her wrist computer. Businesses can join a register that allows police access to the CCTV stream in the event of an emergency, inside or out of the building. When taking into account the huge number of public CCTV cameras, all with facial recognition, and patrolling CCTV drones managed by the government, police have blanket coverage of most areas when needed.

Facial recognition technology has detected the faces of those involved in the brawl, but there’s no match on the database that magistrates can order offenders on to if they are convicted for serious or violent offences.

The drone has detected blood and ripped clothing near the scene, which the offenders are now fleeing from, and that information is relayed to Sen Const Haines’ wrist computer.

When she arrives at the scene, she’ll use her portable forensic kit to take a sample of the evidence. It will be immediately analysed and recorded for future testing by a system located in the rear of the police vehicle.

For senior constable Haines and Harvey, it’s just another night of police work in 2050.

And it’s only just begun.

2050 predictions

Drones

Operate in pairs and are stores in police vehicles. The drones are paired with the personal work devices and in-car computer system of police. When the location of an incident is entered, the drones automatically fly to that location. One drone conducts a preliminary scan of the incident scene, recording entry and exit points and the location of possible evidence. The other monitors the location for possible offenders or vehicles moving through or leaving the scene.

Vest

A lightweight, bullet and stab proof garment. Material can illuminate so officers are clearly visible in dark areas without the need for reflective light.

Body-worn camera

Vision is automatically livestreamed back to a control centre for supervision and recording. Cameras automatically activate when police leave their vehicle.

Safety glasses

Ultra-strong and lightweight with the appearance of ordinary glasses. They can automatically brighten visibility in lowlight areas and have both forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and night vision technology built in.

Earpiece

Small, comfortable and lightweight. Encrypted digital radio signal is transmitted to a small receiver embedded in police vests. Earbuds are controlled through simple motions, such as tapping to respond to incoming messages.

Uniform

A flexible, lightweight exoskeleton with heating and cooling technology built inside. Material is a mix of carbon fibre and Kevlar threads that make uniform more difficult to penetrate with sharp objects and helps the wearer absorb any strike from an offender. Matching gloves are an includable extra to help protect wearer from diseases, dirt and grime, and bodily fluids.

Vehicle

A ‘police station on wheels’, the totally automated electric vehicles have differing travel modes, including ‘patrol’, ‘intercept’ and ‘response’, which other vehicles respond to. Automatic Vehicle Recognition and livestream vision is standard across all vehicles. Advanced onboard computer systems show live locations of incidents, allowing the vehicle to travel the most direct routes. If an incident is recorded on police systems, the officers in the vehicle can select the location on the inboard computer and the vehicle will automatically travel the most direct route to the scene.

Handcuffs

Lightweight but ultra-strong. Sensors monitor the heartrate and other vital signs of the person in custody and information is fed back to arresting officers’ personal work devices and in-car computer systems.

Helmet and hat

Police will still predominately wear hats in the year 2050 but will have access to helmets for high-risk events or incidents. The helmets will have inbuilt goggles and police radios and a breathing apparatus to combat pollution and infectious diseases.

Wrist computer

A small bracelet-like band worn on the wrist. A touch ‘screen’ is projected from the device, giving officers access to police computer systems.