The Government has officially launched the Security and Innovation Centre (SIDC). SIDC brings together government, industry and academia to explore security and policing challenges and the development of technology. The Home Office says that the centre will showcase the UK’s policing capabilities in realistic ways, such as a neighbourhood policing scene and a serious crime scene, to demonstrate various technologies in cutting crime and protecting the public. SIDC, which began as a pilot project in May 2013, has so far supported the development of body-worn video (BWV). From January 2015, the centre will undertake projects including:
Developing the ‘digital police officer’ – enabling officers to use technology such as BWV, wearable mobile data and head-up displays to improve information gathering and sharing;
Supporting SMEs that are developing rapid drug and alcohol detection technology and improving explosive detection tools; and
Increasing understanding of how organised crime is taking advantage of an expanding digital world.
Karen Bradley, Home Office Minister for Organised Crime, launched the centre. She described it as a hub that allows government, industry, academia and of course practitioners, such as the police, to identify security challenges and create innovative solutions to tackle them.
“We already have a strong and thriving security industry and I am committed to supporting it to ensure it stays at the forefront of the global market and at the same time contributes to the safety and security of the UK.”
The centre is overseen by the Security and Resilience Growth Partnership, a ministerial-led working group, chaired by Bradley. It seeks to identify opportunities for British security companies overseas and promote the UK security industry. UK security exports have doubled over the last five years, the Home Office says. In 2013 the figure for security exports was £3.2b, representing over a four percent share of the global security exports market; well below the UK’s share of the world defence spend, however.
