Interoperability in justice and public safety: May 2026 forum write-up

The session began with a reflection on eight years of techUK’s interoperability work and growing sector engagement, including recent government announcements.

Ministry of Justice’s Data Improvement Programme and new Connecting Criminal Justice Data Programme

Sarah Blake, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and Olivia Newport, Head of Criminal Justice System Data Development at MoJ an overview of the Criminal Justice System Data Improvement Programme, which strengthens data sharing and analytics across justice agencies and systems.

They introduced the new Connected Criminal Justice Data Programme, centred on improving operational data sharing through a new system called Justice ID, designed to address fragmented identity management, disconnected systems, and inconsistent data quality.

Police Digital Service’s new Interoperability Handbook and Maturity Assessment

Milan Bollegala, Business Analyst at Police Digital Service (PDS), shared details from on their forthcoming interoperability handbook and maturity assessment, due to be formally launched at the Modernising Criminal Justice Conference next month.

As the forum moves into its next phase, the priority will be shifting from discussion to delivery, with a series of focused workshops planned on technical, commercial and delivery challenges.

Here you can find a summary of the previous Interoperability forum sessions.