"Identification and tracing is the ability to trace, attribute, and confirm the identity of a person, location or activity to evidential levels, such as tracing missing persons.
Emerging biometrics can be used to ascertain or impersonate a person’s identity. Advances in analysing microbiomes (the combination of microbes unique to individuals) and genetics could lead to new ways to identify and track criminals from traces left behind. Similarly, as computational power increases, so the ability to measure and identify data characteristics unique to a person increase. This puts at risk people’s right to privacy while, simultaneously, providing new ways to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt a person’s location, supporting existing forensic approaches. We are keen to understand what potential criminal and investigative opportunity is emerging and what the limits are of biometrics."
"We welcome your engagement with our ARIs in the following ways:
• If you have evidence that completely or partly supports or answers one of our ARIs, we invite you to share that with us. For any ongoing research relevant to policing and crime reduction, we encourage you to register your research on the College of Policing’s research projects map, which has been designed to promote collaboration and support requests for participants.
• If you are, or plan to be, carrying out research that relates to one of our ARIs, we’d like to hear about it. While we cannot respond to speculative approaches for research funding, we will where possible act to support your ambitions, including finding you policing partners where possible.
• If you are submitting a funding or grant application that aligns with one of our ARIs, we hope that referencing policing’s ARIs will help to strengthen your case for the possible public impact of the research.
• We will use the ARI document to structure our academic engagement, prioritise events and build new connections with external partners. We will be using our ARIs in our engagement with UKRI, and we will publish any opportunities for funding via our website https://science.police.uk/
Please send any correspondence and questions to csa@npcc.police.uk, including ‘ARI’ in the subject heading."
This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:
TENSOR will provide LEAs a platform that facilitates the biometric evidence extraction, sharing and storage in cross border environments allowing them to share best practices in an automated, robust, secure, privacy-pres...
Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee
Lead research organisation: THRIDIUM LIMITED
The project focuses on utilizing biometric technologies for identification and investigation in policing, addressing the potential criminal and investigative opportunities mentioned in the question.
The promise of biometric technologies in offering security through automated person authentication and recognition has meant that increasingly they are seen as important components in the overall approach to security and...
Funded by: EPSRC
Lead research organisation: University of Kent
The project discusses the development of biometric technologies for identification, but does not specifically address the potential investigative opportunities mentioned in the question.
To develop an innovative Biometric identification and Tracking System and supporting database that provides accurate and immediate identification of subjects from custody suites or CCTV footage, in line with Home Office ...
Funded by: Innovate UK
Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD(THE)
The project focuses on developing a Biometric identification and Tracking System, which partially addresses the potential investigative opportunities mentioned in the question.