Today, digital technology is essential to security management and police; innovations like body-worn cameras, drones, and policing applications have the potential to revolutionize these fields. However, adopting such technologies is not easy and requires support from users and top management teams. This study looks at the challenges that practitioners have when deploying, purchasing, and utilizing crime prevention and detection devices. Expert interviews with practitioners in London between August 2019 and March 2020 are used to examine the topic. By providing a practical viewpoint, this study broadens the scope of earlier, more theoretical writing on the subject and increases our understanding of the problems encountered in innovation processes and their management.
Numerous problems and barriers to technology innovation in law enforcement were noted. These include problems with public-private partnerships, public acceptability, lack of political and financial support, and the implementation of new systems at the expense of older ones. Although individual practitioners may have the expertise and willingness to unleash the full potential of surveillance and crime-reduction technologies, they are usually restrained by institutional rules or, in some cases, inefficiencies. In terms of the latter, this study especially highlights the negative impact of a lack of technical interoperability of different systems, missing inter- and intra-agency communication, and unclear guidelines and procedures.