New Mark43 research shows UK residents support technology to help local police forces keep communities safe

Mark43, the leading cloud-native community safety software provider, today announced new research that reveals a strong desire by UK residents for their police forces to embrace modern, secure, resilient technology to keep them and their data safer.

This new research ? which is based on an online survey of 1,062 UK residents conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of Mark43 between May 1 and May 13, 2024 ? indicates that the vast majority (89%) said that they support investments in technology to free police to engage with their communities, with emergency backup call handling systems, software to pinpoint locations and modern report writing systems. Nearly as many (85%) said that sharing data and information in real time with neighbouring police forces and partner agencies would enable even more crime prevention and resolution.

"Our new research indicates significant excitement to modernize the technology used by police to free them to spend more time on essential operational priorities and create safer communities," said Mark43 Co-Founder and President Matthew Polega.

Residents support police systems that are resilient and secure

• A strong majority (93%) of residents would like their local police force to have a backup emergency dispatch system in case of outages; this can be addressed through cloud-native technology. Sixty-seven percent of the group said that would provide them with an increased feeling of safety during emergencies.
• The same large share (93%) indicated that they would prefer their local public safety agencies to use current software that updates in real time.

Modern technology can help stretched police forces increase visibility, attract talent

• The vast majority (86%) of respondents said they want to see more police in their communities, with 78% responding that they specifically support greater visibility for crime prevention.
• Eighty-seven percent said that more opportunities for police to engage with young people through community sport and school programs could help solve recruitment issues.

Freeing police to spend more time in communities can protect even the most vulnerable

• The UK government is working to address issues such as violence against women and girls, which it has acknowledged in a recent initiative.
• Seventy-eight percent of the Mark43 survey respondents said they want to ensure first responders have the ability to respond effectively to such challenges.
• In fact, 75% of the survey group said that they would support modern technology to enable that.

Polega said: "By empowering police with modern reporting and call handling systems, forces can free police from mundane tasks, and more police officers can go back into their communities to do what they do best: keeping citizens safe."

Older people are keen on modern technology for police

• People of all ages said that they want to see a heightened police presence in their communities. However, this desire was particularly pronounced among people ages 55 and older, 94% of whom said that they want to see more police on the street.
• A smaller, but still significant, 69% of the 18-24 age group felt that way.
• Older generations are also most inclined to support increased police force funding.
• Nearly a third (30%) of people aged 18-24 voiced support for more police funding.
• Even more (60%) of individuals 45 and older advocate for that.
• A fair share (42%) of people ages 18 to 24 and even more (72%) people ages 65 and older support local police forces investing in a secondary, backup call handling system.

"When local police forces have access to the best technology, everybody benefits," said Polega. "Enhanced reporting systems like Mark43's cloud-native records system empower local police to share data in real time so that they can better serve and keep their communities safer. Mark43 is committed to bringing the best community safety technology to police forces across the UK."

Mark43 hosted a UK Supplier Day on 24 June 2024 in London. At this event, attendees heard from Mark43 and Amazon Web Services about the current landscape of policing and community safety technology in the UK.

Survey methodology

For the online survey, UK residents opted in to an online database and were targeted based on demographics. To further confirm qualifications, survey respondents were asked to verify their information in the survey itself by self-identifying their qualifications. The maximum margin of sampling error for the survey was +/-3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

About Mark43

Mark43 is the leading cloud-native police technology company. By delivering a modern, intuitive and mobile-first records management system, computer-aided dispatch and analytics platform, Mark43 empowers governments and their communities to improve the safety and quality of life for all. Working with more than 290 local, state and federal public safety agencies across the United States and United Kingdom, Mark43 is transforming how first responders use technology to respond, engage and serve the community. Mark43 provides the tools, resources, expertise and security foundation that public safety needs today, tomorrow and beyond. For more information or to request a demo, visit www.mark43.com.