The Police Foundation and Virgin Media O2 Business have today launched a new report revealing a strategic roadmap police forces can use to make the most of digital systems, data and technology. The Power of Information report addresses opportunities and challenges associated with policing technology, including upgrading outdated technology and unifying data management systems – which will be critical to modernisation.
With expertise from an advisory panel of leaders across national policing, improvements are agreed that will enable officers to work more efficiently and empower them with real-time insights. The aim of these conversations is to shed light on the current state of technology in policing, assessing how it supports police work, and the path to achieve enhanced public safety and stronger trust within communities.
UK police forces are grappling with significant obstacles from outdated legacy systems, complex procurement procedures, fragmented data-sharing, and a lack of digital knowledge and skills at all levels of policing. These challenges are stifling the full potential of data, digital and technology that could revolutionise modern policing.
The advisory panel created a strategic roadmap for reform, with the following key recommendations:
- Develop a National Strategy for Interoperability: Establish a unified framework to improve data sharing and technology integration across all 43 police forces in the UK. This would help police forces scale and deploy new technologies, while eliminating reliance on legacy systems.
- Invest in Modern, Scalable Technology: Transition from outdated systems to cloud-based platforms with real-time data, artificial intelligence-driven insights, and enhanced crime-fighting capabilities. Improved interoperability through unified data standards would ensure seamless information flow, empowering officers to make better decisions in real-time.
- Change the Leadership Culture: Foster technological literacy at senior and exec leadership levels, ensuring that decision-makers understand the benefits of innovation and act accordingly. This includes building deeper partnerships with private sector to allow confident testing and adoption of cutting-edge tech and creating robust training and mentoring programmes for officers and staff.
Implementing the report’s recommendations could enhance the efficiency of police forces and improve public safety. For citizens, this would mean faster response times, smarter crime prevention and investigation, and safer communities. For officers and staff, modernised systems would reduce administrative burdens, freeing up more time for frontline duties and fostering a more collaborative work environment.
Aside from these reforms, the report found that digital transformation would increase job satisfaction, reduce stress, and attract and retain tech-savvy recruits. Ultimately, this would build a more efficient and trusted police force, with stronger relationships within the communities they serve.
Charlotte Hails, Justice and Policing Lead at Virgin Media O2 Business, commented:
“As digital technology continues to evolve, it is critical that UK police forces keep pace with these changes to serve communities effectively. Having spent nearly two decades in policing, I’ve seen first-hand the challenges of local, regional and national transformation. Ensuring that the basics are done right, such as leadership and knowledge, and network infrastructure and connectivity, is the backbone of the evolution and innovation needed in policing.
In the private sector, we have a critical role to play as an active strategic partner, providing police forces with real-world, outcome-based solutions that ensure officers have access to the right information anytime, anywhere, and can do their roles as efficiently as possible to best serve communities.”
Virgin Media O2 Business currently works with over 30 police forces across the UK, delivering core connectivity and mobile and voice technology solutions to enhance public safety and improve decision-making.
Dr Rick Muir, Director of the Police Foundation and author of the report, said:
“The reliance on outdated technology is one of the most significant barriers to effective policing today. When officers are equipped with tools that are far behind the times, their ability to perform their duties efficiently is severely limited. This report is a call to action for a paradigm shift that will enable our police forces to operate with the agility, efficiency, and effectiveness that modern policing demands.” Learn more about Virgin Media O2 Business’ support for the sector here.
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