Attitudes of police officers towards big data policing

• In Event: WG-PLACE 2: Towards an evidence-based model for big data policing (BIGDATPOL)

Abstract

Big data policing has received significant attention in recent years due to its potential to inform both strategic and tactical aspects of policing management. Besides the evaluation on how effective big data policing is in reducing crime rates, secondary effects that are not crime-related should also be taken into account. These effects are underreported in evaluating studies of intelligence led policing programs. Focusing on police officers and their perceptions and user experience as a secondary effect, will allow to provide a more complex and balanced overview of the impact of big data policing. Through a comprehensive survey and additional focus groups conducted across 19 Flemish police zones, this research investigates the attitudes, expectations and utilization of big data policing among police officers. The survey methodology encompasses a range of questions designed to measure different domains, such as knowledge, expectations, efficacy, trust, ethical considerations and practical implementations of big data policing among the police officers. By leveraging the insights gathered from the survey data, this study aims to inform the development and implementation of effective big data policing models tailored to the specific needs and contexts of police zones.

Authors

• Charlotte Vandenbrande, Ghent University

• Wim Hardyns, Ghent University