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Humberside Police, in partnership with Coeus Software, has published the results of Project Moriarty, a National Police Chiefs‘ Council National Science and Innovation Board Test and Learn-funded trial exploring how artificial intelligence can support frontline officers with timely procedural guidance.
The trial used Coeus’s PoliceBox® platform to deliver ‘Cecil’, a conversational AI assistant and digital mentor providing verified, up-to-date guidance derived from official policies, legislation, and procedures. Officers ask Cecil questions, such as, “I’ve arrived at a road traffic accident,” and receive clear, relevant instructions within seconds.
“The Project Moriarty trial with Humberside Police showed how the Cecil AI assistant can deliver real-time guidance to officers in the field,” said Simon Hall, CEO of Coeus Software. “When combined with the power of PoliceBox to digitise frontline policing, it has the potential to transform efficiency and enhance community engagement.”
The trial responds to a growing challenge in policing: as of March 2024, 35% of officers in England and Wales had fewer than five years’ service, and voluntary leaver rates were at record levels. This experience gap makes consistency and confidence in frontline decision-making harder to maintain.
Results from the trial were positive, with officers rating Cecil highly for accuracy (4.6/5), relevance (4.5/5), ease of use (4.6/5), and usefulness (4.4/5). Response times ranged from 5–20 seconds, with half of all questions answered within 7 seconds.
Colin Dring, Innovation Manager at Humberside Police, said: “Project Moriarty has shown how AI can enhance officer confidence and consistency in real time. By placing guidance directly in officers’ hands, we’re helping them make better decisions for the communities they serve.”
Preliminary modelling by the project team suggests that if Humberside Police applied Cecil to all procedural queries, the force could save more than 23,000 officer hours annually, equivalent to adding several full-time officers back into frontline service.
Cecil takes its name and inspiration from Chief Constable Cecil Charles Hudson Moriarty OBE, a policing pioneer whose 1920s handbooks established standards of professionalism that shaped modern policing.
The full Project Moriarty report is available for download here.
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