Your goal is simple: to make things better today than they were yesterday…

Musings on crime stats and using tech to protect people…

A few weeks ago, I shared that one of our customers at ASEL had committed to our first-ever autonomous drone pilot project.

This isn’t just a flashy gadget – it’s a working solution that combines photographic and thermographic imagery to tackle real-world risk.

Futuristic and incredibly functional. What a treat!

It’s a proper milestone for us and I won’t lie, as a techie, stuff like this gets me excited. I’m not an over-the-top, in-your-face, “this is going to change everything forever” sort of techie. Not the sort who camps overnight for the latest releases. But I am someone who believes innovation only matters if it solves something meaningful.

That’s always the test for me, and in my role as Transformation Director it’s a lens I never really switch off. So I’ve been paying closer attention lately to where and how technology’s being discussed (or not discussed!) in the wider world.

The insatiable news magnet that is Nigel Farage recently claimed (then re-claimed, then reiterated several more times for pure political punch) that total crime today is 50% higher than in the 1990s. He’s also promised to halve it within five years of a Reform UK government.

Bold stuff.

But beyond talk of phone theft, that recent press conference didn’t mention technology at all. I guess that’s not surprising – Farage isn’t exactly known to be progressive. But surely a whole host of tech is going to play a part in the drastic reduction in crime? It’s something I’d love to hear more politicians sharing details on when they’re discussing issues like this, where tech-led solutions clearly have so much potential.

Meanwhile, UK Border Force is gearing up to trial AI-driven facial age estimation technology designed to verify the age of people arriving without documentation.

The goal is to stop adults posing as children to strengthen their asylum prospects.

Home Office data shows that 56% of migrants in 2024 who claimed to be children were later found to be 18 or older. Over half! What’s equally interesting is that this tech is already in use across certain online retail and gambling platforms, verifying age with no paperwork, far less guesswork, and no unnecessary delays. It’s a small, smart shift with big implications for fairness and efficiency.

And across the pond, facial recognition AI is being trialled by US police forces to support investigations into serious crime and missing persons cases. It’s an interesting read, and definitely a space with big ethical questions… but also one that shows how quickly the boundaries are moving.

All these headlines point to the same thing: technology is no longer an optional extra in public safety and crime prevention. The real question now is how we use it and how responsibly we deploy it.

At ASEL, that’s always been our focus. Our systems do more than throw sensors and screens at a problem. Technology here is built to anticipate: it helps our teams pivot, streamline, and consistently focus their attention on the most pressing issues.

We’re proud to be pushing boundaries with things like autonomous drones, low-power remote security, and smart risk modelling all backed by real-world proof-of concepts.

The thread that ties our tech together is simple: Use it with purpose. Innovate with accountability. And never lose sight of the people we’re trying to protect.

Because whether you’re scanning a store, monitoring a border, or climbing a mountain on a fundraising ride (yes, that’s looming ever closer), the goal is the same for all of us: to make things better today than they were yesterday.

Frazer Clark

Transformation Director