Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Department is taking to support police forces in trialling officer safety technologies used by law enforcement agencies overseas.

The Home Office works closely with policing partners, including the National Police Chiefs' Council and the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser, to support the development, testing and evaluation of technologies that can improve public and officer safety.

Through this work, the Department supports policing to assess emerging technologies, build the evidence base for their use and identify opportunities to learn from innovation and best practice, including developments in other countries where relevant. The Home Office also supports research, development and trialling activity in a range of areas aligned to policing operational needs.

Decisions on the operational use of technology are for chief constables, who are responsible for ensuring that any technology deployed by their force is lawful, proportionate and suitable for local policing requirements.