Data, digital and technology

Through investment in digital, data, and technology systems, policing is modernising its operations, improving efficiency, enhancing public safety, and combating a wide range of evolving threats. 

This area is of increasing importance in responding to crime, as more crime is carried out using established and emerging technologies, whilst new capabilities offer potential step change in police effectiveness in crime reduction. 

Police forces across the country will spend billions of pounds over the next few years on technology, using investment from the national police budget for major law enforcement technology programmes. There is also substantial investment in improving police productivity through technologies including facial recognition, robotic process automation, drones, automated redaction, public contact systems, knife detection technologies, and artificial intelligence, and through the establishment of the Centre for Police Productivity. Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) includes national and local IT services, and investment programmes for new technologies and capabilities  crucial for UK policing to operate efficiently and effectively.  

The PCC role in overseeing policing data and technology 

PCCs and their equivalents have a critical role to play in DDaT- locally, holding chief constables to account for the efficient and effective implementation of police technology in forces, and approving local expenditure. At the national level, they provide oversight and scrutiny through the APCC as part of the tripartite with NPCC and Home Office, to manage existing national IT services (such as the Police National Computer) and invest in new technologies (such as the LEDS system that will replace PNC in 2026). Programmes, such as the Police National Database (PND), an intelligence database that shares information across all police forces, non-police law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies, provide greater police capability for crime prevention and detection.  

Police capabilities will be further improved through digital forensics, for example through the Home Office Biometrics (HOB) programme and its work on facial recognition and fingerprint matching technologies. 

The Digital Public Contact (DPC) programme is an example of DDaT offering new methods of public engagement on policing, helping victims of crime to report incidents to the police and allowing police forces to maintain more effective communication with, and understanding of, victims of crime. 

The portfolio of DDaT programmes are also a key driver for improving productivity, streamlining police operations. For example, robotic process automation will automate administrative tasks and allow more resource to be focused on frontline policing. Projects such as the Digital Case File project allow for more efficient and accurate sharing of information between law enforcement and criminal justice systems. Auto redaction can help to protect sensitive personal data, allowing police forces to adhere to data protection laws and ensure the privacy rights of individuals, maintaining public trust and confidence in policing. 

Advanced systems such as the Home Office Large Major Enquiry system (HOLMES) and the Multi Agency Public Protection System (MAPPS) will facilitate collaboration between policing and law enforcement agencies, enabling a more coordinated and effective response to crime and security challenges. This extends to international enforcement through the International Law Enforcement Alerting Platform (I-LEAP).  

Portfolio leads