Surrey becomes first academic institution to sign agreement with PoliceAI

PoliceAI was established following the Police Reform White Paper (2026) and is government-backed. Working on behalf of all 43 police forces in England and Wales, the organisation’s role is to identify, test, evaluate and scale AI solutions that help policing tackle real operational challenges while ensuring appropriate safeguards, governance and transparency are in place.

The ambition is straightforward: to improve public safety and outcomes for victims and communities by helping policing use AI responsibly. This means supporting better investigations, reducing bureaucracy, improving productivity, strengthening safeguarding and helping the workforce spend more time protecting the public.

For Surrey, the agreement represents more than a new partnership. It brings together academic research, policing expertise and real-world societal challenges to help shape AI systems that are effective, responsible and centred on the people they are intended to serve.

The Institute for People-Centred AI already works with London’s Metropolitan Police through a partnership focused on tackling knife crime. Together, researchers developed Knife Hunter, an AI system which helps police forces analyse recovered weapons more rapidly and identify potentially valuable intelligence. The agreement with PoliceAI creates an opportunity to build on this experience and explore new areas where people-centred AI research can support policing and the public good.

Representatives from PoliceAI visited the University of Surrey on 13 October for the official signing and to see first-hand some of the research being developed at Surrey.

During the visit, Professor Miroslaw Bober and Dr Syed Sameed Husain demonstrated the Knife Hunter system. Dr Muhammad Awais also presented advancements in face-morphing generation and detection developed by Taimoor Rizwan, Dr Sara Atito and Professor Josef Kittler. The delegation also heard about Surrey’s work in audio analytics and audio large language models, developed by Tony Alex, Wish Suharitdamrong and Dr Sara Atito

Professor Lisa Collins, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, said:

“The partnership between PoliceAI and the University of Surrey is a powerful example of people-centred AI in action. By putting people, real-world needs and public benefit at the heart of innovation, we are translating Surrey’s world-leading AI research into responsible technologies with meaningful societal impact.”

Deputy Director of Strategy, PoliceAI, Dylan Alldridge said:

"When it comes to AI, success isn't measured by the technology itself, but by the difference it makes to people. That's why partnerships with leading academic institutions such as the University of Surrey are so important, helping us bring together research, innovation and policing expertise to address real-world challenges."