National Policing Digital Strategy Refresh
On 30 May 2025 the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), with the support of the Police Digital Service (PDS) released the National Policing Digital Strategy 2025-2030, which is an updated version of the original 2020 strategy and serves as a guidance document to inform investment decisions and prioritisation in policing over the next five years.
The refresh comes at an important timing, as we are now at the mid-point of the original 10 year strategy, which was significantly influenced by the post COVID-19 digital acceleration and threat landscape.
Since then, extensive industry consultation has taken place to improve and adapt the strategy. As a part of this wider engagement with both the public and private sector, we are pleased to note that techUK members were influential in the steering of this refresh, thanks also to the ongoing partnership between techUK and Police Digital Service (PDS).
TechUK and the PDS initially established a partnership in 2021, to create a formal link between their services and the tech industry sector. Following the success of this, the partnership was strengthened through a refresh in June 2024, signifying the intent to continue this brilliant collaboration.
As a result of contributing to the strategies refinement and ensuring that the strategy aligns with the goals of policing, establishing several digital ambitions for 2030 to protect the public, deliver a seamless citizen experience, enable officers and staff through digital, collaborate with the private sector and to embed a whole public system approach.
To achieve this, the NPCC are focused on implementing the strategy in their next steps and aim to do so through their seven enabling pillars:
Data and analytics – A unified approach to data analytics is crucial for transparency and trust.
Strategic alignment – It is important that a cohesive national vision for digital policing is established, which should be derived from architectural principles and should guide investments.
Modernised core data and technology - Simplify and modernise our DDaT infrastructure, reducing environmental impact and costs while ensuring systems and equipment meet our requirements.
Connected technology – Strengthening policing with readily accessible data, powered through interoperability of technology and enhanced operational effectiveness.
Risk and security – Securing data and approaching risk consistently, to build public confidence in policing.
Talent in digital, data and technology – Ensure that the next generation of data and technology talent across policing is well positioned to facilitate the transformation.
Open digital market place - Create a dynamic, competitive digital market that fosters innovation and responsibly addresses policing challenges.
As we move into the implementation phase of the refreshed National Policing Digital Strategy, techUK is committed to continuing our support for its ambitions, particularly around skills development, interoperability, and fostering innovation.
One of the challenges recognised in the strategy is the need for the digital skills gap to be addressed, particularly with the fact that the demand for digital skills is increasing, which is a key area of focus at techUK. Our current Justice and Emergency Services Management Committee (JESMC) identified ‘digital skills’ as one of the programme priorities; the group is investigating ways that the tech industry can support the effective adoption of technology to enhance public safety, for which training and digital literacy is a vital part of. To further this agenda, the group are calling for input from members to submit any sector relevant training or material to contribute to a digital skills catalogue.
Interoperability and data sharing are also important priorities mentioned in the strategy, that are also addressed within techUK on the past years and discussions have progressed with our Interoperability in Justice and Public Safety Forum, joined by tech industry, police and government representatives.
We look forward to continuing to support the delivery of these priorities and contributing to a more digitally enabled, secure, and effective policing landscape over the next years.
If you want to know more about our work, reach out to the JES team.
