A research team from the University of Stirling, including CRISP Director Professor William Webster, has been awarded a research grant to review best practice relating to how police forces introduce new emerging technologies into policing practice.  The research project is designed specifically to support the Scottish Government funded Independent Advisory Group on the use of emerging technologies in policing. The focus of the research is to examine how emerging technologies can be introduced at the same time as safeguarding privacy and human rights, with the funded research organised through the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR).  The Stirling research team includes Dr Niall Hamilton-Smith (School of Applied Social Sciences), Dr Mo Egan (School of Arts and Humanities), Dr Diana Miranda (School of Applied Social Sciences) and Professor William Webster (Stirling Management School).

The work will focus on:

• Detailing the relevant legal frameworks in place in Scotland. This will comprise of three different parts, namely existing regulation including on equalities, human rights and data protection; the legislation which governs what Police Scotland do and how they do it; and legislation for specific policing activities or technologies.

• Exploring good practice from other jurisdictions, both within the UK, where some legislation is shared, and internationally.

• Exploring good practice from other fields, including a comparative look at legal frameworks, ethical standards and the use of research evidence and scientific standards.

• Reviewing existing research that identifies the impacts on the rights of individuals (including witnesses, victims, suspects and members of the public) that are associated with the use of new and emerging technologies?

Further information about the research can be found on the SIPR website.