Media Coverage of Predictive Policing: Bias, Police Engagement, and the Future of Transparency

The last decade has seen a wave of technological innovation by police forces. While this development has attracted significant scholarly attention, little is known about the accompanying media coverage, which can play a significant role in public understanding and perception of such technologies. In this article, we examine how the UK press has reported on two specific types of police technology, individual risk assessment, and predictive area mapping, in the 2012–2021 period. We find that (i) press coverage peaked in 2018, before dropping sharply, (ii) press reports have grown significantly more negative, (iii) concerns about bias have become predominant, and (iv) some evidence that the police have become more reticent in their dealings with the press. We hypothesise that this has inadvertently contributed to a reduction in transparency, which risks further erosion of efforts to identify and mitigate potential harms. In light of these findings, we propose potential paths towards improving transparency.