The highly anticipated Dragons’ Den final took place recently showcasing the brightest ideas across Bedfordshire Police.

Dragons’ Den aims to harness the creativity and problem-solving skills of staff and officers across the force.

Out of more than 30 entrants, four finalists made it to the grand finale held at Woodlands Manor, with each presenting groundbreaking ideas designed to enhance policing and public safety.
The four finalists were:

• Team Erudite: A Bedfordshire Police App that enables people to report information at the touch of a button by the public, partners, and agencies. It allows users to submit information, images, and videos anytime, anywhere. (Jo Franklin, DCI Tom Stean, Paul Jones, Caroline Ley)
• Dialling up Efficiency: A call transcribing program that works with the telephony system to utilise generative AI for summarising key details of calls to the Force Control Room into concise summaries that are then relayed to attending officers via an app or in-car technology, ensuring they are aware of key facts and potential crimes. (Information Standards team, presented by Jennifer Baker, Lorraine Stebbing, Andrea Breitenbach and Amanda Murphy).
• Team Daedalus: An AI tool that automates the SARA scanning and analysing model, summarising information to save time and providing insights into causes and solutions of policing in Bedfordshire. (Supt Alex House, Sgt Tanveer Hussain, Elise White)
• CamGuard: A project looking to use cutting-edge camera technology to support scene guards, making it the first of its kind in any police force. A team of covert officers aim to enhance operational efficiency, improve officer safety, and provide better service to the public.

Force lead for the Den, Mich McCarthy said: “All the ideas had a real mix of working to improve their own area whilst acknowledging the wider impact across the force. The initiative fosters innovation and ensures that new ideas are developed with a holistic perspective, benefiting both our staff, officers, and the public. By offering support and guidance, the Den brings ideas to life while also providing opportunities to learn new skills. We are fortunate to be able to recognise the work of all those involved in the process at a celebration event thanks to our sponsors Axon and Amazon Web Services (AWS).”

Detectives in the CamGuard team pitched the winning idea which aims to reduce time spent on scene guards through better use of technology, impressing the judges with its practicality and potential to enhance operational effectiveness.

Technology Entrepreneur, Steven Richardson, who has been involved in Dragons’ Den for two years, said: “The level of participants this year was outstanding. It’s clear that AI and emerging technology are becoming a major focus, and it’s exciting to see how these innovations could shape the future of policing.”

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Andy Cooke QPM DL said: “We don’t see this in policing across the country, this is a rarity. You should be incredibly proud of the work being done here in Bedfordshire. This is why I have taken the opportunity to be part of this for the past two years.”

Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: “I feel privileged to be a part of this force, and everyone I spoke to during the evening shared that sentiment. As technology and AI continue to evolve, Dragons’ Den will no doubt remain a driving force for new ideas, ensuring that policing continues to be smarter, more efficient, and more community-focused – and that our force is at the forefront of that.”

We are looking forward to seeing what next year’s competition will bring!

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