British law enforcement is turning to AI to tackle some of the country’s most famous cold cases. Avon and Somerset Police are currently trialing the Soze tool, an innovative AI technology developed in Australia, which is capable of analyzing various types of evidence, including video footage, financial records, social media activity, emails, and other documents, all at the same time.
According to recent evaluations, the AI system was able to review evidential material in 27 complex cases in just 30 hours—an astounding feat that would have taken humans 81 years to complete. The tool’s ability to rapidly sift through large quantities of data could prove crucial in finding leads that were previously overlooked.
Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, emphasized the tool’s potential, stating, “I could imagine this sort of thing being useful for cold case reviews. You might have a cold case that just looks impossible because of the amount of material, and feed it into a system like this which can just ingest it, and then give you an assessment. I can see that being helpful.”
This development comes at a time when police resources are increasingly stretched. Reports from Sky News highlighted that fewer officers from the UK’s largest force are working on unsolved murder cases. For instance, five Metropolitan Police officers were recently moved from investigating the 30-year-old murder of Atek Hussain—a case that remains unsolved after he was fatally stabbed in 1994—to bolster basic command units. Mr. Hussain’s case, while not currently active, was last reviewed in August by the Serious Crime Review Group.
The Soze tool is part of a broader trend of integrating AI and other technological innovations into policing. Mr. Stephens mentioned that there are “dozens of ground-breaking programs” that could soon be adopted across the UK. One such example is an AI tool designed to create a national database of knives, potentially putting pressure on retailers to curb illegal knife sales. Another system enables call handlers to dedicate more time to domestic abuse victims by automating other administrative tasks.
These advancements are expected to significantly improve police productivity. Mr. Stephens estimates that, if fully implemented, the use of these 64 technological tools across England and Wales could save approximately 15 million hours of productivity—equivalent to over £350 million in costs.
However, the adoption of AI in policing does raise questions about public trust and safety. While the technology has enormous potential, police chiefs acknowledge the importance of maintaining transparency and ensuring AI is used in a way that aligns with public expectations.
Mr. Stephens said: “This isn’t handing over our responsibilities to technology but using the technology to help us do better.”
