A police force has become the first in the UK to use artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up and improve their stalking investigations. The north-west England force hopes the controversial technology will identify suspects’ patterns of behaviours at a much earlier stage.
Det Ch Insp Danielle Knox, who leads its stalking unit, said that while AI would never “replace the human element”, it would instead “enhance” what officers currently do. She added: “We have ethics committees and checks and balances in place to make sure the algorithms work in the way we want them to.”
UK police first as north-west England force to use AI to hunt stalkers (Image: Getty)
Currently officers in the county’s Harm Reduction Unit (HRU), which investigates stalking and harassment allegations, review evidence manually.
The unit typically deals with 10 cases of stalking each day but the force believes AI can analyse incident reports while alleged victims are still talking with police call handlers.
Using information provided by the force’s HRU and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, the algorithm will be “trained” to help detectives identify stalking behaviours.
The aim is for the technology to be smart enough to flag up potential cases of stalking regardless of whether the word “stalking” is actually mentioned by victims or witnesses.
Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Dan Price said he was confident the technology would “speed up investigations”.
He applied for £300,000 from the Police STAR (Science, Technology, Analysis and Research) Fund to pay for the new technology.
Rather than teams of people “sifting through layers” of data, he said AI could identify patterns and behaviours and “build cases” at a much earlier stage.
It is hoped speeding up cases will help victims (Image: Getty)
Mr Price said where AI had been used to investigate different crimes in other parts of the country, it had been “25 times more effective than an individual detective”.
Currently three-quarters of cases dealt by the HRU result in a suspect being charged. Mr Price is confident the technology will lead to even more convictions and “give victims more protection, faster”.
Last week the Daily Express revealed how Cheshire Police secured jail time for a nightmare stalker who made life hell for a family for years when evicted from their private land.
Leo Deen, 61, was living on a piece of land belonging to the family for several years but repeatedly refused to leave, forcing the courts in 2023 to issue him with an eviction notice.
But Chester Crown Court heard he launched a “malicious” campaign against the family and authorities on social media, falsely accusing them of corruption and expressing his desire for “justice”.
A judge heard Deen also “harassed the victims” by repeatedly delivering letters to their home addresses and carried out several rooftop protests – on the roofs of local shops – against his eviction.
Last week Deen was jailed for four years, comprising 20 months after admitting stalking and causing a public nuisance -and 28 months for child sex offences after sexually interacting with a woman posing as a 15 year-old on social media.
After Deen was jailed, investigating officer Det Con Ashcroft, of Cheshire Police’s Harm Reduction Unit, said: “I am pleased the courts have recognised the severity of Deen’s actions.
“It has been a long road for the victims in this case; they have been subjected to years of torment and have been courageous and dignified throughout.
“I hope that these convictions and sentence bring the family some closure and that they are able to move forwards with a more peaceful life away from Deen’s influence within it.”
