On the 22th of March 2023, Ghent University Faculty of Law and Criminology organized together with i4S a study seminar on the future of big data policing in the Belgian police.

Professors P. Jeffrey Brantingham, Christophe Vandeviver and Wim Hardyns shared their expertise on this topic, paying close attention to how law enforcement can benefit from big data solutions.

The valuable and challenging interaction with the experience of law enforcement practitioners Eva Braeckman (Advisor Specialist data analytics, Antwerp Local Police) & Wim Liekens (Chief Commissioner eng. MSc, Director police information & ICT (CIO), Belgian Federal Police) and the reflections shared by Frank Schuermans (Chairman a.i. Supervisory Body for Police Information) resulted in a unique and engaging seminar. It is a multidimensional topic, and therefore the opportunities and (legal, ethical) challenges for practice are diverse. Several of these challenges were addressed in the research pitches from Thom Snaphaan, Robin Khalfa, Laure De Cock, Maite Dewinter, Kuralarasan Kumar

Sharing, piloting and validation of big data policing solutions in close collaboration with practitioners is important for the uptake of best practices, results of successful research and innovation, and for making sure that innovative solutions can be used for improving big data capabilities for police.