PETALING JAYA: Predictive policing and identifying criminal patterns are among the benefits of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology into the police force, say experts.
However, they said AI tools will not replace human judgement, noting that it is supplementary instead of being a substitute for human decision-making.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Cybersecurity Research Centre director Prof Dr Selvakumar Manickam said AI, especially machine learning algorithms, are a powerful tool to forecast and detect crime patterns.
“This allows geospatial crime mapping, pinpointing areas where commercial crimes or cyberfrauds are more likely to occur. AI can also recognise behavioural patterns and flag unusual financial transactions that might indicate money laundering or fraud,” he said.
Prof Selvakumar also said addressing sophisticated commercial crimes requires more than just upskilling current officers.
“We must forge a specialised unit of qualified individuals who possess advanced degrees in related fields and empower them with full law enforcement authority.
“This strategic investment in expertise is not just beneficial but critical to ensure accurate, ethical and effective AI deployment in the pursuit of justice,” he said.
Prof Selvakumar added that every ringgit invested in these technologies is a ringgit saved from the pockets of criminals.
He said AI deployments must be accompanied by strict ethical guidelines, robust data protection measures and transparency.
“It must be carefully balanced with privacy concerns, ensuring that any surveillance and data collection adhere to legal frameworks.
“Ethical use remains critical to prevent blind reliance on automated decisions that may be flawed or biased,” he said.
Criminologist Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy said AI helps investigators keep pace with evolving threats that may prove difficult for humans to detect.
“Proper training ensures officers can interpret AI results accurately, make informed decisions, and use them in the most productive way.
“The authorities, such as the police, need to understand the ethical boundaries of using AI, ensuring that it does not lead to biases or violate privacy rights,” he said.
Sundramoorthy, who is with USM’s Centre for Policy Research, said AI can assist in tracking hackers, identifying system vulnerabilities and analysing large volumes of data to identify unusual patterns that may signal cybercrimes.
“Additionally, it can analyse transactions and detect patterns indicative of fraud, money laundering or insider trading.
“It can also be used to track counterfeit foods or piracy by scanning online markets and identifying illegal reproductions of copyrighted content,” he said.
This, he said, helps reduce time spent on manual investigations while also highlighting potential leads and processing large data sets quickly to find relevant connections.
Sundramoorthy said AI can also analyse behaviours of individuals or groups involved in criminal activities and predict potential criminal acts based on patterns of behaviours.
“It can assist in optimising police patrol routes and schedules by identifying areas with higher likelihoods of criminal activities,” he said, adding that the efficiency of police operations could be improved.
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