..innovation with unrivalled tools for rescuing children

Staffordshire-based Semantics 21 (S21), a pioneering digital forensics company, has received royal recognition from King Charles III for its cutting-edge AI-powered software.

Already esteemed worldwide in its domain, S21 stands as the first of its kind to be honoured with such a prestigious accolade for its innovative and unique technology which enables law enforcement to rapidly locate victims across the globe.

Hailed as revolutionising the investigation of child sexual abuse globally, S21 has won the King's Award for Enterprise in Innovation after being put forward for the regal honour by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

S21's AI-powered toolset boosts investigators' success in finding and rescuing child sexual abuse victims

It's not the only UK first bestowed upon the pioneering tech innovator, which is marking its 9^th anniversary in Stafford. Five years ago it became the UK's first digital forensics company to win the same innovation award from the late Queen.

With an emphasis on finding and rescuing victims first, the interim years have seen S21 continue to develop and introduce new tools to generate even more actionable insights for investigators to identify and locate victims even quicker.

This ongoing commitment and continued in-house development, have placed the multi-award winner firmly, and deservedly, back into the national spotlight.

"We are driven by supporting law enforcement in rescuing children from sexual exploitation, eliminating case backlogs and protecting investigator mental wellbeing. It's not about money, shares or profits,"

CEO Dr Liam Owens, a UK expert called upon to advise the House of Lords on AI in policing, and automated decision-making in digital forensics, said:

"I'm proud to work alongside the most dedicated, passionate team in digital forensics. We're thrilled to receive this award, which is an incredible honour, from the King.

"Our UK and international team of experts in their respective areas, have one common goal: rescuing victims. They give their all (and more), to ensure police entities have access to the very best tools and support, enabling forces to do what they do best, protect the public and save children from sexual exploitation."

Dr Owens added:

"It's not about money, shares or profits. We are truly giving back and making the world a safer place for current and future generations while providing an unrivalled service, and ensuring our innovations are affordable and accessible to all law enforcement, even those with limited or no budgets."

Only 1 in 8 child sexual abuse victims are ever identified - S21 tools are helping find the other 7

S21's Global Alliance Database is one of its many innovation successes. Boasting 2.5billion global, digital forensic insights - significantly outrivalling the closest comparable database with less than 100million insights - it's available free to law enforcement.

S21's Director of Research and Development, Prof. Claude C. Chibelushi, a world-renowned AI expert in digital media understanding, said:

"Our company culture and ethos is underpinned by a single belief: Every Victim Matters.

"According to a 2015 Children's Commissioner for England report, only 1 in 8 children sexually abused are ever identified. Our innovations are helping police find the other 7."

The King's Award is for S21's latest in-house innovations which help investigators analyse digital media evidence from computers and phones to highlight victims within minutes, reducing case processing time by over 60% and the mental harm suffered by investigators subjected to extremely distressing content.

One police force even reported finding more victims in 10 months than the previous five years combined, with many others reporting similar successes.

S21 now eagerly anticipates its award presentation from Staffordshire's Lord Lieutenant. For more on S21 visit https://www.semantics21.com/