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A new national service aims to tackle one of policing’s long-standing challenges, fragmented data held across individual force systems.
Policing generates huge volumes of complex and sensitive information. Used well, that data can help officers spot patterns, identify risk earlier and run more intelligence-led investigations. But in practice, information is often locked away in separate force systems, making it difficult to access when it matters most.
Officers and staff can end up spending significant time manually searching across multiple platforms to piece together information. That not only slows investigations, but pulls resources away from frontline work and makes it harder to build a clear, timely picture of risk.
Set out in the Police Reform white paper, the National Data Integration and Exploitation Service (NDIES) is designed to address this by creating a more joined-up approach to policing data. The service will provide a central way to integrate national datasets, helping teams access the information they need to better protect the public.
Led by the National Data and Analytics Office (NDAO), and developed in close collaboration with the Home Office, NDIES will make relevant national datasets accessible to officers and staff, regardless of force area, where it is necessary to safeguard the public.
The approach will also allow approved analytical tools, already tested for safety, reliability and compliance, to connect to national datasets. This will help forces make better use of the data they already hold, supporting stronger policing outcomes.
In practical terms, NDIES aims to reduce the need for officers and staff to log into multiple systems to find information. By improving access at a local level, it is intended to save time, reduce duplication and free up capacity for operational priorities.
As policing moves towards greater national coordination in areas of shared concern, the service is also expected to support more effective data sharing between forces and with national bodies.
A scoping exercise will now take place with partners across law enforcement and government to develop NDIES further. In the meantime, forces will receive nationally consistent guidance to support continued local innovation, while maintaining commercial, technical and data protection standards.
Chief Constable Chris Todd, chair of the National Police Data and Analytics Board, said the service marks “a significant milestone” in how policing manages and uses its data.
“By joining up our data and removing the barriers created by siloed systems, we can help our teams access the information they need without unnecessary delay,” he said. “That means officers and staff are better equipped to intercept criminal activity and protect those at risk, at pace.”
He added that reducing friction between systems would help policing become more proactive in preventing crime, rather than reacting after harm has occurred.
Kate Fishers-Stevens, Director of the National Data and Analytics Office, said NDIES would support the NDAO’s wider work to improve data standards and quality across policing.
“Data can only be used to protect the public if we can see it,” she said. “Our aim is not to create a single national platform, collect more data, or share it unnecessarily. It is about bringing information together when needed to build a clearer picture.”
She added that a centralised data infrastructure would support cross-force and cross-system sharing, helping create a more consistent view of information while reducing time, cost and effort across the service.
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