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Dr Shane Horgan's Recognition (32)

QAA Subject Benchmark Statement Professional Policing

Scottish Justice Fellow

External Examiner BSc Professional Policing

Invited Speaker/Discussant: Policing, Justice and Law Enforcement in a Digital Age
2025

Recognition Type Invited Speaker
Description Fast moving digital technology has helped create a new genre of criminals who are educated, tech savvy and can sell their skills for nefarious purposes. The ever-growing issue of serious and organised crime depends on sophisticated technology linking a variety of criminal activities, including child sexual abuse and exploitation, people trafficking, and drug smuggling, making the perpetrators harder to trace.

The increasing use of AI by criminal gangs makes detection ever harder and as a criminal tool, AI can be used for purposes like intimation, humiliation, and harassment. Criminals will use AI tools like ChatGPT for writing assistance, allowing inexperienced writers to craft effective marketing messages that lure in potential victims of so-called romance fraud and can also be responsible for encouraging murderous acts and radicalisation.

For the law enforcers too, AI can become a powerful tool in predictive policing and assist in forensic data analysis and testing the parameters of privacy and data protection.


The borderless nature of technology-driven crime also creates new practical and legislative obstacles for those tasked with law enforcement and how they collaborate in the name of justice.

This annual Holyrood ‘Law Enforcement in a Digital Age’ event builds on what we learnt from the inaugural event shaped around last year’s INTERPOL General Assembly and will explore the role of digital technology in both enabling crime, and fighting it.

Learning Objectives:

Gain insights into the latest digital crime trends and law enforcement responses
Understand the ethical and legal challenges in digital policing
Explore collaborative approaches to combating cybercrime
Learn about advancements in AI and predictive policing technologies

Panel Discussion:
This panel will explore topics including:

• Emerging trends in digital fraud and exploitation
• The impact of AI on both criminal tactics and law enforcement methodologies
• Strategies for effective collaboration among law enforcement, financial institutions, and tech companies
• Balancing regulation with civil liberties in online spaces
Research Areas Criminology
Research Themes AI and Technologies
Research Centres/Groups Social Sciences Research Group
Org Units School of Applied Sciences
URL https://events.holyrood.com/event/policing-justice-and-law-enforcement-in-a-digital-age/

Seminar: School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University, April 2025
2025

Recognition Type Invited Speaker
Research Areas Criminology