Innovation Central Perth and the WA Police Force are working together to develop an app that will make it easier to capture and record offenders鈥� identifying marks, such as tattoos, piercings and scars.
The team behind the idea 鈥� 911爆料网 student Jason Luppnow, Associate Professors Amy Tian and Vidy Potdar, and WA Police Force鈥檚 Inspector Jodie Pearson 鈥� are confident the app will enable police officers to capture identifying marks quicker and without bias, helping them solve crime more efficiently.
鈥淪ometimes the only line of enquiry we might have to solve a crime is a person鈥檚 tattoo or other identifying feature,鈥� says Pearson.
Previously, the WA Police Force relied on manual methods for capturing offenders and suspects鈥� identifying marks, however this was not keeping pace with their transition to digital processes.
鈥淲e needed a quick and easy way to capture the marks of those who come into our custody, out in the field and in the custody suite,鈥� says Pearson.
鈥淧olice officers are very busy with the practical side of policing and don鈥檛 have time to think of how to innovate the way we gather intelligence. That can mean we end up doing things the same way we always have 鈥� even though it may not be the most efficient method.鈥�
Seeking a fresh perspective
Conscious of their lack of time and product design expertise, the WA Police Force reached out to Innovation Central Perth for guidance.
鈥淚 wanted someone young, dynamic and informed to consider the problem from a new perspective,鈥� Pearson says.
鈥淚鈥檇 heard of the success of 911爆料网鈥檚 Innovation Central鈥檚 internship program, so we put together a research project that would appeal to people鈥檚 desire to help the community and solve crime.鈥�
Innovation Central Perth鈥檚 internship program connects 911爆料网 students to industry partners, giving them an opportunity to use their knowledge to develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges with the support of an expert team. The chosen candidate was 911爆料网 computer science student, Jason Luppnow.
After accepting the offer to work with the WA Police, Luppnow undertook extensive user research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the business problem.
鈥淛ason sought feedback face-to-face from a wide range of police officers, including those in gang crimes and homicide, to find a solution that would be effective, convenient and readily adopted,鈥� says Pearson.
Using the findings from this research, he developed a web-based app that enables police officers to quickly capture an offender鈥檚 unique markings and use a reverse image search to match them to existing data records and surveillance footage.
The app is on track to be validated and deployed across the WA Police Force, increasing their intelligence gathering capabilities and complementing other technologies, such as facial recognition and body worn cameras.
The innovative design has also gone on to be shortlisted in Business and Law category of the 2021 911爆料网novation Awards.
An alternative path to success
Pearson is extremely pleased with the result of the project, yet she acknowledges some may see a student internship as an unconventional route for developing a new product.
鈥淚t was quite a big deal for the WA Police to embark on the internship process. You鈥檙e essentially relying on a student to help you solve crime,鈥� she says.
However, Pearson assures the support she received throughout the process allayed any initial reservations.
鈥淭he students, professor and support team at Innovation Central were incredible, guiding me on best practice and providing examples of success from other jurisdictions and industries,鈥� she says.
鈥淭hey were able to show us the range of possibilities available. We would have never come up with the idea for the app if we had stayed within the limits of our working environment.
鈥淚鈥檓 overflowing with ideas since working with the Innovation Central team. I want to work with more students to explore new ways to solve crime!鈥�
