Avon and Somerset Police

The Police and Crime Commissioner's decision 2026/002, signed on 12 February 2026, approves a final business case to procure Söze on a three-year contract with a one-year optional extension, moving it from an 18-month Proof of Value into business-as-usual use. The document describes Söze as an investigation analytics tool, initially designed for Australian law enforcement, that searches and identifies evidence across photo, video, audio and text, hosted in the force's own Azure environment. The Proof of Value is reported to have shown improved evidence discovery, a positive effect on officer wellbeing and reduced reliance on specialist resources. Approval is conditional on the 'AI figure' being 100 per cent before contract sign-off and on decision gateways being built in. A force FOI response on AI technologies (reference 1159/25; request dated 5 September 2025, response undated) lists Söze as used in proof-of-concept and proof-of-value contexts, with a contract from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 worth 448,500 pounds, and does not name the supplier. The decision document gives no contract value or supplier. The status is recorded as a trial because no source shows routine operational use after the decision.