Crime Surveillance Technology: Soft and Hard Technologies in Law Enforcement

Crime Surveillance Technology 1
Crime Surveillance Technology
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Crime Surveillance Technology 2
Question 1
Key Characteristics and Examples of ‘Soft Technologies’ and ‘Hard Technologies’ in Law
Enforcement
As insecurity is increasing in the whole world day by day, countries are continuing to
come up with the ideas and technologies to prevent and manage crime activities both as
individual citizens or concerned groups (Marx, 2011). There are two types of technologies that
have come up that’s information based also known as soft technologies and material based also
known as hard technologies. Both innovations have brought massive radical changes in the
organization of crime prevention and control strategies (Ball, and Webster, 2013). The two
technologies are examined in terms of their effects and uses on both crime-control and crime-
prevention policies towards the victims and crime offenders.
Hard technologies innovations are the electronic devices that can be seen or touched
which can be employed to prevent, commit and regulate criminality. Technologies are
increasingly being put in place in day to day operations in security matter. CCTV cameras, metal
detectors, bullet proof windows, ignitions interlocks system with alcohol sensor devices to
prevent a drunk person from starting a motor vehicle, new police protective gear and patrol cars
are some of the examples of hard technologies innovations in crime preventions and control
(Marx, 2011). Hard technologies innovations are characterized by Knowledge of natural science
that is they can understand how human body works. Substance and physical world meaning that
they can see a human being or any other physical matter around (Gandy Jr, 2009). Hard
technologies can change and control the nature or substance. When new technology arises they
are found useless because they cannot be updated.

Crime Surveillance Technology 3
Soft technologies include the strategic application of information to avoid and regulate
crime. It involves the developments of risk evaluation and threats evaluation instruments. Soft
technologies enhance the security operations like extrapolative policing technologies, recording
and video streaming abilities in police cars (Marx, 2011). Soft technologies inventions comprise of
classification systems, new software programs, data sharing, system integration techniques and
crime analysis techniques. Although soft and hard technologies attributes aim to exercise and
offer services for social transformation and economic developments are common, soft
technology develops categorically dissimilar model from hard technology. Soft technology is
associated to technological knowhow. They are non-perceptible features that includes the “know
how". The application of soft technology is needed to yield hard technology products (Haggerty,
and Ericson, 2010). The soft technology mission is to optimize the basic functioning of an
organization. Soft technologies target to create competent social crescendos within organizations.
Through the optimum utility of soft technologies, articulacy in human resource frameworks can
be established (Haggerty, and Ericson, 2010). It can as well be applied to all the productive
organizational processes. Through its application, short and long-term goals can be attained in
the implementation of plans that affect the public.
An example of a soft’ technology of surveillance is the Suspect Targeting Management
Plan program which detects and targets criminals, and those who have not been imprisoned of
offences but who police think are at risk of conducting potential crimes (Marx, 2011). An example
of hard technology surveillance is the use of circuit closed television (CCTV). Crime offenders
won’t commit crime in the area covered by the CCTV because they know they are already seen
and police will come for them.