Data driven AI transforming the fight against organised crime

Simpson Associates, is streamlining complex UK police investigations by harnessing the power of data and AI. In a world where crime is evolving at pace, the tools to fight it must evolve even faster.

As data can act as both a weapon and a shield, police forces often find themselves struggling to connect the dots scattered across multiple systems. Simpson Associates, Microsoft Partner of the Year 2024, and its partnership with the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme is transforming how UK police forces combat the complex web of organised crime.

The TOEX programme

Organised crime has grown smarter, more connected, and increasingly elusive. Traditional policing methods often struggle to keep up with these sophisticated criminal networks. Enter TOEX —a groundbreaking initiative designed to support complex investigations into modern slavery, organised immigration crime, sexual exploitation and more. TOEX provides dedicated intelligence and analytical expertise, helping police forces across the UK tackle these crimes head-on.

But TOEX is more than just a programme—it’s a game-changing solution. The partnership between Simpson Associates and TOEX has led to the development of a modern data platform, designed specifically for the needs of police forces and their modern challenges.

This secure, UK-hosted cloud solution, built on Microsoft Azure, is already delivering remarkable results. By integrating regional and national police systems, this platform provides officers a comprehensive overview of criminal activities, enabling them to disrupt networks and make informed decisions based on concrete evidence.

Central to this platform is the TOEX Capabilities Environment (CE) – a revolutionary ‘app store’ housing custom-made tools designed to meet specific policing challenges. Among these is the AI-powered TOEX Translation and Transcription application – a tool that can bulk translate vast amounts of text at great speed, due to intelligence of generative AI.

As of January 2024, it had been used over 340 times, translating more than 290 million characters at a minimal cost of £2,410. Using AI in their Transcription and Translation tool has freed up valuable police time by drastically reducing transcription times from hours to mere minutes.

Simpson Associates and TOEX’s Azure-based platform and applications overcome geographical boundaries, centralise key datasets, and provide the full picture of organised exploitation. This has created a new opportunity for all 43 UK police forces to implement in a single data model.

“The opportunity to bring together information and data onto a single data platform is revolutionary. This is the first time in UK policing that this has been delivered.” 

Kate Thacker, Detective Chief Superintendent, TOEX.

The transformative impact of the partnership has not gone unnoticed. Simpson Associates was honoured with the 2024 Microsoft Community Response Partner of the Year award, a testament to its commitment to using technology for positive change. Through its work with TOEX, Simpson Associates is making a tangible difference in the fight against crime, ultimately saving lives and protecting communities.

A safer future on the horizon

The TOEX programme is far from finished with its innovations. With plans to introduce more tools and capabilities in the coming financial year, the future of policing looks promising. The foundational work laid by Simpson Associates and TOEX is set to continue revolutionising how technology and data are leveraged to combat organised crime effectively.

“What that’s going to enable in the future for policing is huge. Crime, as we all know, is borderless – and now we’re starting to get a borderless solution too.”

Ross Gibson, Account Executive for Policing, Microsoft.

Imagine a world where police officers can spend less time sifting through mountains of paperwork and more time focusing on bringing criminals to justice. That’s the vision Simpson Associates is bringing to life. By combining human expertise with cutting-edge technology, the company is empowering police forces across the UK to protect communities and build a safe future for all.

The industry will once again be gathering at the NEC, Birmingham for The Emergency Services Show, co located with The Emergency Tech Show on 18-19 September, check out the full exhibitor list here. You can find Simpson Associates in Hall 4, stand F102, part of the Microsoft Partner Pavilion.