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Warwickshire Police are considering the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to prioritise low-level crimes, with discussions already in progress. Chief Superintendent Mike Smith acknowledged

that policing was "quite rapidly" moving towards AI solutions but also recognised the "ethical questions" involved during a recent address to councillors. Superintendent

Smith and Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe were answering queries from Stratford-on-Avon District Council's overview and scrutiny committee, a group of councillors who

assess the effectiveness of and make recommendations to public service providers. READ MORE: POPULAR PUB CLOSES WITH EMOTIONAL MESSAGE Councillor Jenny Fradgley asked: "To what extent

is AI beginning to have an impact on policing, saving time, and in what areas would it be used?" and "Will it reduce your need for more manpower when it fully comes in or comes

into play more than it is at the moment?". Mr Seccombe explained how technology was aiding with certain tasks related to vetting. "We have spent significant funds on information

technology (IT), not only updating some of the hardware but some software programmes and it is looking at robotics which is AI," he said. "As an example, we process around 30,000

vetting applications each year. We have a national contract for that and a lot of that process is now automatic, done by a machine but plainly with human oversight." The integration of

robotics in the police force has saved numerous roles, as revealed by an unnamed source: "Although we have 100 people who work in that department, it would be significantly more without

robotics." Superintendent Mike Smith acknowledged the growing influence of advanced AI in law enforcement: "is starting to get a foothold in policing". He noted the ethical

considerations such technology raises, particularly regarding critical decisions: "There are a lot of ethical questions around this, particularly when you are making decisions around

risk and prioritisation," he explained. Smith emphasised the importance of maintaining public confidence as AI takes on more decision-making tasks: "We are really comfortable that

policing can move into this space a lot. We have to bring the public with us because there will naturally be trust and confidence questions if we have AI making decisions around whether or

not a crime is prioritised, so there is a lot of debate playing out around this." He disclosed current discussions with an AI company about integrating AI in certain areas of policing:

"We are talking to an AI company around some initial options, potentially looking at bringing it into some low-risk areas. It is absolutely gaining pace, quite rapidly actually."

Smith also addressed the uncertainty surrounding the extent of AI's role in policing: "How much (it can do) was the other part of the question, I think that is to be decided. It

depends how far policing goes into the AI space. All forces are starting to tread carefully into this area because there are some risks with it."