West Yorkshire Police has become the first force in England and Wales to roll out a new artificial intelligence‑driven Post Call Analysis (PCA) capability, designed to unlock intelligence previously “hidden” within thousands of historic control‑room calls.
The tool, developed jointly by West Yorkshire Police and the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC)’s Digital Public Contact (DPC) programme, aims to improve demand analysis, strengthen vulnerability identification and reduce pressure on contact‑centre staff. Early findings from pilot activity suggest that PCA has already identified 21% more calls containing indicators of hidden vulnerability than standard processes.
Although calls to control rooms are audio‑recorded, the information captured within force systems traditionally depends heavily on operators’ notes rather than the full conversation. Consequently, much of the detail has historically been inaccessible for analysis, limiting the ability to identify trends, join intelligence across incidents or assess compliance with required processes.
The PCA system integrates with existing workflows and performs secure transcription, automated summarisation and topic categorisation. The AI is trained exclusively on police data, and each output is accompanied by a plain‑language explanation, reflecting emerging national standards on transparency in policing technology.
Key features include:
- Repeat caller analysis, offering broader context beyond raw call counts
- Hidden vulnerability detection, identifying indicators not recorded in operator notes
- Compliance monitoring, assessing whether required crime‑prevention or forensic‑preservation advice was provided (supporting follow‑up after PEEL inspections)
ACC Stuart Hooper, NPCC Contact Operations Lead, described the deployment as a “genuinely significant moment for public contact policing”, emphasising that the programme was designed to support, not disrupt, control‑room operations.
He said the new capability enables forces to capture and analyse intelligence previously “locked away” in call audio, helping them better understand demand and identify vulnerability earlier, while freeing contact‑centre professionals to focus on judgement and decision‑making.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob McCoubrey highlighted the early benefits of the system, saying PCA is already helping the force build a “clearer understanding of the calls for service”, including vulnerability that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.
He stressed that the tool does not replace human expertise, noting that staff judgement and empathy “remain central to every contact we handle”. The AI assists by presenting information more efficiently and consistently.
The force said that it is taking a “careful and measured approach” to the technology’s introduction, ensuring alignment with NPCC and College of Policing standards on responsible, ethical and transparent AI deployment. All processing is carried out within secure police environments, with continuous monitoring of accuracy, proportionality and public‑safety impact.
