Wynyard Group joins forces with NZ Police... tackles crime through tech

Wynyard Group has today welcomed the New Zealand Police as a long term partner in its Crime Science Research Institute (CSRI).

The partnership further supports the New Zealand Police’s continuous improvement programme which uses crime research and problem orientated policing to better understand the criminal environment and to prevent crime and protect the public from harm.

The New Zealand Police will join the University College of London (UCL) Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science, University of Canterbury and a Wynyard research team to design world-leading products and services that will help modernise crime prevention and policing in New Zealand and other countries.

In welcoming this announcement Police Commissioner, Mike Bush, says the CSRI aims to bring together crime science research, operational know-how and advanced technology with one single-minded objective; preventing crime.

“New Zealand Police's prevention strategies deliver better, more cost effective front-line services through the effective use of new technology," he says.

"Our participation in this innovative new research and development centre is another signal of our intention to be the world's most effective mobile and visible police service with high levels of public trust and confidence.

"Crime science research, combined with our major investment in mobile technology, will be a useful addition to our national Prevention First operating strategy.”

The research and development conducted in the CSRI will initially focus on operationalising local and international crime science research, with a focus on crime prediction and forecasting to better manage the wider criminal environment.

Persons of interest models underpinned by new technology when combined with crime prediction and forecasting creates a powerful crime prevention tool which can be used to monitor potential offenders and protect potential victims.

The Deputy Chief Executive: Strategy for New Zealand Police, Mark Evans, adds: “We know that crime tends to be concentrated in particular locations, and also that 6% of the population suffer 54% of all crime.

"The identification of these crime patterns means that Police can ensure we have more of the right staff, in the right places at the right times."

Wynyard invests more than $15 million in research and development each year and is investigating plans to relocate its CSRI to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Christchurch to be close to the city’s new Justice Precinct and New Zealand Police operations.

The facility will become home to the 24 staff Wynyard has assigned to the CSRI, new PhD students the company will engage through the Callaghan Innovation R&D Student Grants Scheme and Wynyard’s 60 engineers and developers.

“This partnership ticks a lot of boxes. It is focused on solving real crime problems and delivering real outcomes and safer communities," says Craig Richardson, Wynyard Managing Director.

"It creates high value jobs that will be highly sought after by the best science and engineering students in the world.

"It brings together the power of universities, forward thinking government agencies and technology companies to develop highly valuable solutions for use in New Zealand and export to other countries.

"It also sends a strong message that our industry and government believe in Christchurch as an R&D centre for advanced technology.”

Wynyard has developed game-changing products used by police services and governments around the world and the company sees opportunities to further extend technology and operational models developed together with the New Zealand Police for consumption in global markets.

“This is not some No.8 wire initiative," Richardson adds. "There is real opportunity here. We have access to some of the best research, crime prevention expertise and advanced technology in the world.

"I’ve been told by both U.S. and British experts there is nowhere else in the world this could be done."