Tradecraft now 'on steroids'

Craig Richardson, Wynyard Group. Photo / Sam Frost

Wynyard Group is making waves internationally with industry-leading crime analytics and big data software.

"Fifty years ago you might have had 1000 documents to review for a homicide, which could be everything from witness statements to telephone records," says Wynyard managing director Craig Richardson. "Now we're doing hundreds of millions of documents that our algorithms are processing. We haven't replaced a tradecraft, we've put it on steroids.

"We're providing the technology and tools to manage an abundance of data from a variety of sources, organise the data, analyse it and present it on a client-facing platform for use by law enforcement.

"What's different about us is the crime science and the algorithms that exploit that data, looking for particular patterns, anomalies, trends and relationships between data," Richardson says. "The methods we're using are not dissimilar to a fast-moving consumer goods company or a premium brand looking to find a particular consumer so they can target them with an advert, but the execution is different.

"We've approached big data very differently - we do play in the area people would typically describe as big data - but we're adding the smarts to it. We're not doing mass collection, we're not using it for consumers, we're using it for very specific, targeted purposes. We're part of a shift from big data to smart data."

Wynyard takes a multi-faceted approach to innovation, combining market-driven developments and leading academic research to stay at the forefront of crime analytics. "The real secret to our innovation is that we've built really close relationships and engagements with our customers because it is in their interest to share as much information as possible with us so that we're able to build it into our products," Richardson says.

Those innovations can then be turned around and implemented quickly to address the market needs.

Wynyard's software is a framework which can be modified or added to, compressing the innovation pipeline from years to months. The advanced gun crime analytics software just rolled out in the United States took less than two and a half months from concept to market launch.

"The rest of the innovation has been about sales and marketing. I think one of the key things which we constantly miss in the New Zealand market is that you can have a great product but unless you can execute on the sales and marketing, you never win. People in New Zealand get caught up on the idea of inventions and great ideas, but unless you can execute on the marketing, it's not worth anything."