Robotic Process Automation
Fact Sheet
Fact Sheet
Today’s technologies mean we no longer require workforce effort to undertake monotonous tasks from vetting case management to creating crime reports.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the automation of mundane and repetitive tasks staff may have to undertake, freeing officers to attend to more nuanced and skilled tasks that present higher value. There are already many cases in which it is being used currently, from filling in forms to extracting data1, combining the power of application programming interface (API) and user interface (UI) interactions to perform repetitive tasks2.
Policing is brimming with processes, which whilst arduous, are required to ensure accountability, consistency and traceability. These processes are carried out hundreds, to thousands of times a month in forces, from crime recording, victim support, and incident management. Imagine, an automation approach which can complete a wide number of processes (up to 150 so far!) with very little human effort, that can operate continuously. This ‘digital worker’ is programmed to emulate the work of a human agent, but instead of using a keyboard and mouse to execute repetitive system-based work, the digital ‘worker’ follows predetermined computer pathways to move data, validate business rules and perform actions. These tasks are performed with greater accuracy and consistency than humans.
This can free officers and staff from backoffice, administrative functions to focus on more complex decision-making, challenges and frontline engagement. So, they can get back to the parts of the job that drew them to policing in the first place.
RPA brings the considerable benefit of a consistent approach to processes, with minimal human error. There is increased assurance that tasks are completed, and compliance targets are met. Importantly, data quality and accuracy is improved, which reduces the considerable risk to operational policing that poor quality data sets can bring.
This is a potential relief for many forces, as it removes the burden of time-consuming administrative tasks on overstretched officers and staff.
The software has already been adopted by Lancashire Constabulary, and key features include:
Lancashire Constabulary has seen significant savings with its deployment of RPA. The roll-out of RPA across the service has generated an estimated £2 million in savings, as well as 100 full-time equivalent officers or staff. Focusing on data quality and reduction of duplicate and triplicate files, it is tackling a case backlog that would have taken just under 100 years to deal with manually. As a result of its deployment, 34 years’ worth of this has been processed in just 9 months!
Policing is increasingly looking to Artificial Intelligence to address many of our common problems. However, forces often have incomplete and poor-quality data sets. This poses a problem because data is the fuel for AI models and affects the quality and level of bias in predictions4,5.
RPA has the potential to clean up data sources across the forces by minimizing human error and building consistency. This will reduce the risks which poor data quality can bring, along with ensuring that the information we are inputting into our models are accurate and validated.
The good news is that forces do not have to onboard RPA to their forces alone.
The NPCC National RPA Programme has spearheaded efforts to improve, evaluate and implement RPA for policing, and to date, 29 out of 43 forces have onboarded to the programme.
The programme has three ‘Pathfinder’ forces – West Midlands, Lancashire and Avon & Somerset. They have trialled working and implementing RPA software with three different RPA delivery partners.
The National Programme have used the findings and lessons learnt from the Pathfinders, and funding from the Home Office to create a blueprint for implementation. This includes a national process catalogue of up to 150 processes which helps forces quickly identify RPA opportunities.
This methodology can get RPA up and running within your force in three months. For this quick transition, like any business case, the RPA programme requires buy-in from your Chief Constable, a senior sponsor, and commitment from your ICT, DPO and ISO departments.
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police (TVP) partnered with SS&C Blue Prism³ to automate processes in their Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), which links together the critical agencies for protecting children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect. The high volumes of work the Hub were facing reduced their ability to prioritise high risk cases. TVP worked with SS&C Blue Prism to develop RPA to carry out repetitive administrative tasks human operatives would have been performing, along with a process to prioritise high risk cases. This function currently processes an average of 6,000 occurrences per month.
Post implementation, prioritisation markers were achieved in under four hours, compared to over 48 hours when manually processed. The control room is now better able to prioritise vulnerable people and staff can focus on safeguarding decisions rather than duplicative tasks. There was a 150% increase in vulnerable children identified, and staff could focus on safeguarding decisions rather than duplicative tasks.
