In this PolicingTV interview, John Harms, Head of Government Solutions at Quantexa, explains how law enforcement can make better use of the huge volumes of data it already holds. The discussion focuses on one of the biggest challenges facing modern policing: not a shortage of data, but a shortage of context. John explains how Quantexa’s approach to entity resolution can connect people, places, organisations, devices, events and relationships across otherwise disconnected systems.

The conversation also explores how better data can support AI, investigations and decision-making. John shows how resolving multiple records into a single, reliable view can help officers understand who someone is, who they are connected to and what risks may exist around them. He also stresses that forces do not need to transform everything at once: they can start with one system, such as records management, and build from there — while keeping human judgement firmly in the loop.

Key takeaways

• Law enforcement has no shortage of data, but often lacks the context needed to use it effectively.
• Entity resolution can combine multiple records into a single, more accurate view of a person or organisation.
• Police data often sits across disconnected systems including records, dispatch, case management and digital evidence.
• Context can reveal relationships between people, places, devices, transactions and events that might otherwise be missed.
• Better resolved data can give AI more reliable information and reduce the risk of inaccurate answers.
• Forces do not need a “big bang” transformation and can start with a single data source such as records management.
• The more relevant data that is added, the stronger the contextual picture can become.
• John argues that AI should support human decision-making rather than operate without human oversight.

Chapters
00:23 – Meet John Harms and Quantexa
01:56 – Why policing has a context problem
03:56 – What is entity resolution?
05:42 – Why AI needs better data first
09:05 – Connecting people, places and networks
12:08 – Why starting with one system can work
14:08 – Does better visibility create difficult truths?
15:30 – Why AI still needs a human in the loop
16:55 – Reliable data before reliable AI

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