Victim Journey's digital evolution

Confronting 54,000 yearly inquiry calls from victims of crime, Humberside Police embarked on a digital shift, dramatically enhancing public trust and the entire victim journey.

A crisis by the numbers

In the expansive area of 1,357 square miles from Kingston-upon-Hull to North East Lincolnshire, Humberside Police serve nearly 0.9 million people. Despite being one of the UK's leading forces, they faced a critical challenge: declining public trust. 1 in 5 calls to the force were from victims needing case updates, straining resources and finances, and exacerbating victims' feelings of vulnerability. This issue, mirroring a broader UK policing problem where half of all calls, including those from information-seeking victims, remained unlogged, highlighted an urgent need for transformative change that prioritized the victim's journey in policing strategies.

A trust at stake

Trust in policing is the backbone of the British model of Policing by consent. But with public trust dwindling and increasing victim dissatisfaction, the fabric of policing by trust was at risk. The lack of timely communication wasn't just a service inefficiency; it was eroding the very foundation of the force's relationship with the community. As Chief Constable Lee Freeman noted, embracing technology was no longer an option but a necessity for restoring trust.

"We are committed to using new forms of technology and we are putting in the investment to make it easier for people to report crimes……
We have to get better at supporting our staff to enable this to happen."
   - Lee Freeman, ex-Chief Constable of Humberside Police (HullLive 2022)

How we made it work

The turning point

To bridge this growing divide, Humberside Police embarked on a transformative journey. Powered by Salesforce Marketing Cloud, they rolled out an automated engagement system. This state-of-the-art solution would proactively update citizens through emails and text messages.

MuleSoft's system integration platform served as the backbone, ensuring a flawless and secure interlinking of the Force's pivotal systems: Niche for up-to-the-minute crime updates, STORM for comprehensive incident data and Azure AD for precise officer insights.

Numbers tell the success

And, after only 3 months of going live, the results speak volumes:

• An immediate drop of 61% in calls to the 101 number related to the new automated communication system.
• Activation of over 7,000 automated communication journeys.

• Reallocating resources equivalent to one full-time employee to higher-priority tasks, maximising efficiency.

"The victim journey concept has been implemented in weeks, with the initial Proof of Concept reducing repeat contact from victims by around 60% into our control room."
   - Chris Philpott MBA, Assistant Chief Officer - Director of Resources and Enabling Services at Humberside Police

Momentum gained

With success in hand, Humberside Police's immediate plans include the expansion of automated journeys, including an even wider array of crime types, to further deepen their engagement with the community.

Humberside Police's innovative approach serves as a blueprint for forces grappling with similar challenges. Their unwavering commitment to strengthening trust through proactive communication signals a brighter future for police-citizen engagement.

With initiatives like the Citizen Engagement Portal on the horizon, the force's journey toward a more connected and trustful community continues.

"Working with Infomentum and Salesforce to transform the victim journey has demonstrated to both Humberside Police and the wider policing community what can be achieved when working in true partnership."
   - Chris Philpott MBA, Assistant Chief Officer - Director of Resources and Enabling Services at Humberside Police