In its “Consensus for Change” report, Motorola Solutions, in partnership with an independent academic research team led by Dr. Chris Brauer of Goldsmiths College, University of London, unveils the results of its study of safety and security expectations. The survey, conducted on a global scale, reveals a redefinition of these expectations as a result of the pandemic.

The Consensus for Change report examines the results of a survey of 12,000 citizens and 50 public safety agencies, trade organizations and industry experts in 10 geographic markets (Australia, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Nordic countries, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States). It analyzes how the global COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated awareness of the need to use technology to improve public safety, while also accelerating innovation and adoption of the technology needed by response services and businesses around the world.

“The pandemic has fueled the need to use technology in a variety of ways to meet new challenges in a rapidly changing environment,” said Mahesh Saptharishi, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Motorola Solutions.

“We have also seen accelerated technology adoption and modernization with significantly reduced implementation times. This research describes the extraordinary ways in which public safety and enterprise organizations continue to adapt to changing needs and policies.”

The study finds that globally, a significant percentage of citizens (88%) want public safety to be transformed through the use of advanced technologies. Other major findings include:

• 71% state that more advanced technologies, such as video cameras, data analytics, cybersecurity and the cloud, are needed to meet the challenges of the modern world.
• 70% say that emergency services should be able to predict emergency situations, a task that can be handled by high technology.
• 75% say they are willing to trust the organisations that hold their information as long as they use it correctly.

This study identifies three major trends that demonstrate an inflection point in the way citizens and organizations view technology and security.

Security expectations redefined by the pandemic

Dr. Brauer said that conducting the study in the context of the global pandemic revealed unique perspectives on public expectations and attitudes about security.

“Citizens around the world are coming to terms with COVID-19 and the impact it has on their safety,” Dr. Brauer said. “Our shared experience with the pandemic has made us realize that technology can play a much larger role in keeping us safe, and has given us a better understanding of why public safety organizations and businesses need it to respond to emerging threats.”

The pandemic has accelerated technological innovation

“Consensus for Change highlights how the pandemic generated lightning-fast innovation for public safety agencies and businesses, particularly in the areas of cloud adoption, video security and interoperability between disparate organizations and systems, while reconfirming the need for reliable, critical communication.

Technology must be used more equitably, transparently and inclusively

The Consensus for Change report also reinforces the need for transparency and trust to increase the necessary public support for technology deployment. Citizens want the benefits of technology to be easily understood and to be used in a transparent, fair and inclusive manner.

The research also shows that increased public education is needed to help better understand new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI).

“As technologies evolve, and do so very rapidly, it is critical that organizations ensure that their advances are developed, understood, and human-centered,” Saptharishi adds.

“Artificial intelligence, for example, should be designed in a way that respects human decision-making processes and takes into account public input and needs, while enabling users to make more informed decisions and respond to complex threats. By designing advanced technologies to be functional, we ensure that decision making remains the sole responsibility of humans.”

The Consensus for Change report is a critical resource for public safety agencies and businesses to understand and apply the lessons of the pandemic. The pandemic has underscored the need to think and respond differently, from assessing risk and better anticipating areas of operational disruption, to evaluating and integrating the right technologies needed to support business continuity. It has also reinforced the need for improved communication and collaboration with communities and among stakeholders to build support for the increased use of more advanced technologies.

As communities around the world continue to respond to large-scale security threats, these perspectives focus on the steps they can take today to ensure greater security in the future.

Translated from La demande et l’adoption de la technologie pour assurer la sécurité du public sont en forte hausse selon une étude