PCC Launches £2 Million Innovation Fund to Transform Policing

A new £2 million Innovation Fund has been launched by Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones to help transform frontline policing in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The fund is designed to support innovative ideas from police officers and staff aimed at helping policing “get back to the basics”: being visible in communities, completing investigations, solving problems, cutting through red tape, and freeing up frontline time.

Speaking about the launch, PCC Donna Jones said:

“As a police force, we need to make sure we utilise all resources to ensure we’re modern and fit for the future.

The use of science and technology is vitally important for that. It holds significant potential to be used to make policing better, more transparent, and more effective – helping solve operational challenges, reducing crime and delivering a better, trusted service.

Society faces a unique set of challenges and by utilising the ideas and solutions of officers and staff, we can put them into practice to reduce crime and make our communities safer.”

The Innovation Fund was announced at the University of Portsmouth’s Policing Futures Forum, where police officers, staff, and academics came together to identify problems, design solutions, and implement them to get police back on the streets and improve community safety.

Science and technology are already playing a significant role in local policing. Hampshire Constabulary has rolled out the UKPAC and EyesOn apps to tackle retail and rural crime and has become one of the first forces in the country to trial the AI Virtual Assistant Bobbi. Since November, Bobbi has been answering frequently asked, non-emergency questions, complementing online forms, telephone lines, and front counters.

PCC Jones added:

“I want the force to be as forward-thinking and as productive as possible. Science and technology sit at the heart of delivering that. This fund will help develop ideas which speed up everyday tasks and increase police visibility on our streets.”

The fund is part of a wider initiative to make policing more efficient, community-focused, and technologically advanced while addressing operational challenges and pre-empting future issues.

More information can be found via the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary website.