Early Tech Adoption

Pioneering forensic
innovation through
Early Tech Adoption

Chin Chin Lim

HTX, Assistant Chief Executive (Sciences) & Director, Forensics Centre of Expertise

EARLY ADOPTION PHILOSOPHY

In the evolving world of public safety, early adoption of technologies cannot be left to chance – it is the cornerstone of driving future-forward mission impact in the long run. Chin Chin Lim, Director of the HTX Forensics Centre of Expertise, believes in living this philosophy every day.

Crimes evolve and so do the tactics of criminals. We can’t afford to play catch-up; we need to anticipate these changes and adapt proactively.

FOSTERING START-UP DRIVEN SOLUTIONS WITH DIMENSION X

Part of her unit’s efforts to anticipate these changes include looking beyond public sector stakeholders. Chin Chin’s division understood how start-ups and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) often bring fresh perspectives, agility, and innovative technologies – both locally and internationally – that may be overlooked in larger companies. Hatch enables this by providing a quick and viable pathway for her division to work directly with start-ups and SMEs with promising solutions. “Hatch helped us frame real challenges, access new tech, and scale innovation,” reflects Chin Chin.

Lim Chin Chin was part of the inaugural batch of end-users in Hatch’s Dimension X, and her unit has been regularly participating since. Dimension X is Hatch’s open innovation challenge, which seeks startup-driven solutions globally that have the innovativeness and capability to solve operational Home Team challenges. She hoped that by sponsoring challenges for Hatch’s programmes, that could help spark a new wave of public safety innovation by co-developing next-generation solutions at pace with leading deep-tech start-ups to address critical operational gaps.

PUSHING BOUNDARIES OF FORENSICS INNOVATIONS

When Chin Chin and her team took the leap to participate in Hatch’s programme to partner with a start-up, it was to solve one of forensics’ most complex challenges: crime scene processing and management. Traditionally, crime scene processing has been constrained by the need for highly specialised expertise and labour-intensive work, making it a prime candidate to benefit from technological innovation.

Through the Dimension X open innovation challenge, the start-up Flyz Robotics worked closely with Chin Chin’s Forensics division to rapidly prototype the Drobot – a drone capable of streaming live video in different perspectives and attaching payloads to vertical surfaces. The result? A transformative tool that enhanced process efficiency and reduced manpower workload by redefining how officers document hard-to-reach crime scenes, improving situational awareness, and accelerating the capture of actionable data without interference

Chin Chin shares, “Beyond its primary use, the drone’s unique design inspired us to explore additional applications we hadn’t initially considered, which further inspired applications in our own operations as well.”

STAYING AHEAD WITH START-UP COLLABORATIONS

This, and the subsequent multiple collaborations the Forensics unit has with Hatch underscore the value of involving start-ups early in the solution lifecycle as true innovation partners. Hatch plays a vital role in bridging this technology to Chin Chin’s team and other Home Team challenge sponsors by enabling faster, more targeted and rapid innovation with cutting-edge start-up technologies, customised to the Home Team’s needs, and all without being slowed by bureaucracy. “It allows us to shape technologies from the ground up, rather than waiting to adopt them once they’re already established,” shares Chin Chin.

As an early adopter of start-up technologies through Hatch’s programmes, Chin Chin also finds herself in the crucial role of bringing such technologies into the Home Team’s operations, and sharing them for the benefit of other Home Team officers who may benefit from such technologies beyond her immediate team. ‘This way, these start-up technologies can also find their way to other relevant end-users in the Home Team – a two-way win-win solution for all!’

TAKING INNOVATIONS FURTHER BEYOND DIMENSION X

Chin Chin and her team’s collaboration with Hatch does not end with Dimension X. Her team’s project has now progressed to its second phase after a successful Dimension X journey. This time, to enable real-time collaboration and virtual reconstructions of crime scenes to help investigators recreate events quickly and accurately, and to equip frontline officers to respond faster and smarter to emerging threats.

Chin Chin’s journey reflects the kind of leadership that Hatch seeks to empower – trailblazers in the public safety sector who are willing to take risks, push boundaries, and co-create the future with start-ups.

Are you a start-up with a bold idea or a Home Team innovator facing a challenge? Join us in building the future of public safety. Contact us at hello@thehatchx.com to start your journey of innovation with us.

Technology Advocacy

Allan Loi
SPF, Chief Information Officer & HTX, Director, Policing
Programme Management Centre

Start-up Innovation

Tuan Tong Foo
GaitMetrics, Co-Founder (Dimension X Cohort 2 Start-up)