The new government’s vision of Brexit is to make the UK a more international, more outward looking nation. One whose future success and status in on the world stage will be dictated by the ability to attract investment and finance, and to drive trade with existing and new partners.
Yet if the UK’s ‘borders’ and issues around controlling migration and protecting the nation from terrorism were the defining reasons for Brexit, how can UK PLC fling its doors open to trade, tourism and goods from and to many more destinations, without exposing the country to more risk?
Exactly how does a more open nation secure its borders from contraband substances, counterfeit goods, terrorism, illegal immigration, people trafficking and more – while expediting the movement of legitimate business and goods, and opening its arms to refugees, economic migrants and tourists?
Why information holds the key to success
The answer lies in the way the Home Office and associated departments use information to plan for and enable economic growth. By gathering a wider range of data – everything from ePassports to passenger lists, criminal intelligence to social media messages – front line staff can begin to uncover suspicious behaviour to pinpoint risk even before it happens. This could, for example, help preventative policing by identifying incoming and outgoing organised crime, or surfacing new lines of contraband and counterfeit goods or spotting emerging trafficking routes.
And it can be achieved quickly by using real-time data for faster responses and more accurate predictions of future risks and trends. It also means that operational managers will be able to dynamically realign resources to combat new and developing threats, while enabling a faster, safer experience for legitimate border movement.
One of our European border agency customers collects and analyses information on all people who travel to or from their country by air, rail or sea. The agency is therefore better equipped to spot potential security risks and intervene, sometimes before the risk even reaches the country.
Open Britain
The Home Office could benefit from the unique depth and speed of insights analytics can generate – and the ease with which models and scenarios can be adapted by users. It’s possible to develop a range of algorithms and software that we know work for the challenges faced by Government organisations. We know how much development work and how many ‘departmental business tools’ are being developed using open source code, and we’ve made sure our platform is now open source compatible. It means you effectively plug your open source tools directly into our deep analytics to make better, faster operational decisions. Which keeps costs down and results rolling in.
Rapid change demands rapid ROI
Compliance with data regulations is of paramount importance – non-compliance could result in fines from the Information Commissioner, or private prosecution by citizens. Data management and governance should be a core component of any data strategy. Our solutions ensure that only the right people use the right data for the right reasons. This could be paramount with the new GDPR regulations around the corner and the government being open to the Freedom of Information Act.
It’s the depth and breadth of intelligence, the ability to predict and mitigate risk faster than ever, and the ability to use a broader, real-time based data to inform decisions that will enable UK PLC to open up new opportunities, without exposing the nation to increased risk.
Find out more about how the Home Office and SAS are zeroing in on outcomes.
