Avon and Somerset Police are testing a cutting-edge AI tool that could potentially solve some of the UK’s most notorious cold cases. The AI, named Soze and developed in Australia, is capable of performing 81 years’ worth of detective work in just 30 hours by simultaneously analyzing video footage, financial records, social media, emails, and other documents.
In a trial, Soze reviewed 27 complex cases in just 30 hours — a task that would have taken human detectives nearly a lifetime to complete. This development comes as the UK’s police forces face significant resource challenges. Recently, Sky News in the UK reported a reduction in officers assigned to unsolved murder cases in the UK’s largest police force, with the Metropolitan Police moving five officers from the cold case unit to basic command units.
Gavin Stephens, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said the technology could be used to help close some of the country’s oldest and most notorious unsolved cases.
“I could imagine this sort of thing being really useful for cold case reviews,” said Gavin Stephens, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told reporters. “You might have a cold case review that just looks impossible because of the amount of material there and feed it into a system like this which can just ingest it, then give you an assessment of it. I can see that being really, really helpful.”
One such cold case, the 1994 murder of Atek Hussain, remains unsolved. Hussain, 32, was fatally stabbed as he returned home from work, managing to tell his family that his attackers were Asian before collapsing. Though the case remains inactive, it was last reviewed in August by the Serious Crime Review Group.
The Soze tool is one of several groundbreaking AI initiatives being considered by UK police forces. Other AI systems under evaluation include one designed to build a national database of knives and another that assists call handlers in better supporting domestic abuse victims. Police leaders, however, stress the importance of implementing these technologies in ways that align with public expectations and comfort.
