The inaugural Big Data Analytics in Law Enforcement Symposium was recently held by the University of Macau’s (UM) Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS), according to a UM statement yesterday.
The statement noted that the symposium was an “academic platform” for senior law enforcement officers in Macau and Hong Kong to exchange views on “state-of-the-art research findings and practical experiences informed by empirical evidence”.
It was attended by a delegation from the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, 23 representatives from the Data Governance Group, led by the Unitary Police Service, as well as 30 Macau law enforcement officers enrolled in UM’s Master of Social Sciences (Public Security Management), the statement said.
Associate Dean Cai Tianji, who represented the FSS Dean, noted that the symposium aimed to facilitate the exchange of professional knowledge in the conceptualisation of theories and cutting-edge computational and quantitative analysis techniques, as well as explore big data analytics’ application in law enforcement, according to the statement.
The statement added that the symposium also aimed to improve law enforcement officers’ mindsets and capabilities in handling complex data and advanced computational tools to enhance their understanding of big data’s application in three major areas of law enforcement: policing, customs and excise, and correctional services.
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department’s Office of Information Technology Head Li Kin Kei presented a talk titled ‘Contemporary Criminology x Innovative Technologies’ to discuss the main areas of law enforcement where big data analytics are being applied, which was concluded with a summary of the theories and conceptual approaches to crime and criminal justice from a big data perspective.
Meanwhile, during the Q&A session, according to the statement, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department delegation, as well as representatives from the Macau Customs Service and the Macau Public Security Police Force’s (PSP) Border Control Department gave their insights on the specific characteristics of crime in Macau, Hong Kong and other regions.
They also talked about the patterns of contraband smuggling by cross-border passengers and cargoes between the two special administrative regions (SARs), according to the statement.
This undated handout photo provided by the University of Macau (UM) yesterday shows participants in the recent Big Data Analytics Law Enforcement Symposium hosted by the public university.
