Kent Internet Risk Assessment Tool (KIRAT) Police Knowledge Fund Impact of Tool Samantha Matthews, National Crime Agency Hayley Rhodes, University of Liverpool

KIRAT Background What is KIRAT? KIRAT is a risk prioritisation tool that applies to individuals suspected of possessing, making, taking and/or distributing indecent images of children (IIOC). Allows police to prioritise the most dangerous offenders (i.e. those most likely to also commit hands-on sexual offences against children). Who developed the tool and why? Developed by Kent Police and the University of Liverpool. Developed in response to increasing police workloads and difficulties prioritising IIOC cases. How does it work? Investigators must provide answers to approx. 14 questions regarding the suspect, at the end of which a risk score is provided.

KIRAT Tool The questions within KIRAT are divided into four distinct steps: s Previous Behaviours Convictions/allegations for a range of sexual offences, number of convictions; prison. Access to Children Any access to children but particularly those of friends, acquaintances or neighbours. Current Behavioural Facilitators Incitement; grooming; producing/taking IIOC; sexual communication (online/offline). Other Factors Other convictions; domestic abuse; substance misuse. At the end of the assessment suspects will receive a risk score which relates to police enforcement action time: Low, Medium, High, Very High. KIRAT has a high rate of accuracy; from a sample of 374 UK offenders (204 NCO, 170 CO) the overall correct prediction rate was 83.7%.

KIRAT: International Scope

KIRAT & PFK This project allowed the KIRAT team to: Design, develop and deliver a structured KIRAT training model to 168 police officers from national forces aiming to improve knowledge around the tool and ensure self-sustaining learning; Publish an academic paper examining the validity of the updated version of KIRAT UK (v2); Develop a guidance framework to assess the cost effectiveness of KIRAT, drawing on data available to police forces and partner agencies; Produce a post-training evaluation report, identifying good practice and highlighting plans for long-term and sustainability; and, Promote partnership working between law enforcement (National Crime Agency) and academia (University of Liverpool) and facilitate knowledge translation between both institutions. Training was delivered in various locations across the UK. Training provided background information on the development of the tool and detailed step-by-step advice on the use of the tool by investigators. This was developed jointly by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the University of Liverpool, balancing evidence-based knowledge transfer and ensuring operational validity of the guidance information.

KIRAT Impact Number of police officers & staff using KIRAT in UK now over 300; Training enables investigators to apply prioritisation methods to large volumes of cases effectively; Streamlined process ensures a national understanding of how to prioritise; Ability to identify and prioritise high-risk offenders at a quicker pace results in the effective safeguarding of children; Prioritising high-risk offenders and intervening at an early stage also means that longer term damage for victims and demands on the system can be avoided; Effective workload/resource management results in savings in police time and resource.

Future Developments KIRAT Strategy; Implement plans for long-term sustainability of KIRAT; Implement training model, continued development of training and quality assurance; Creation of a central knowledge hub for specialist teams using the KIRAT tool in order to ensure that learning and good practice are captured and disseminated effectively across the network; Central knowledge hub to collate data regarding suspect risk prioritisation across UK to allow for further research into national trends; Continued development of KIRAT internationally; Research projects regarding training effectiveness, KIRAT application and continuing validation.

Thank you. KIRAT@nca.x.gsi.gov.uk