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Police forces need to see digital transformation not as an optional enhancement but as a prerequisite for effective policing which requires a collective and consistent commitment to its execution says a new report from CityForum.
Coming shortly after the publication of the police reform white paper where the government set out its ambition to rationalise the number of police forces and create a National Police Service, this report shares the findings of the Digital Policing Summit.
The report identifies a sense of urgency coupled with cautious optimism at the event with event chair, Tony Blaker noting support for a proposition to build a modern set of foundational capabilities , products and platforms to service the new local, regional and national policing model.
The drive for innovation and change is hampered by budgets and the gap between vision and delivery. The promise of transformation that fails to deliver sustainable change is not always about the technology, argues the report, but about funding limitations, a lack of expertise and a governance that restricts and does not enable. “In short, ambition has not always been matched by execution discipline.”
Against a backdrop of AI influencing the way that people access information and an expectation that it should be used in the workplace ‘for good,’ this report finds that organisations including policing have not yet found measurable value in its adoption. It cautions against an ‘AI race’ between forces, ‘deploying tools for visibility rather than operational necessity.’
Covering a range of topics from culture to data to ethics, the report concludes: “if policing can get the data right, reduce friction in frontline workflows, align culture with strategy, and sustain disciplined delivery, reform can move from aspiration to reality.”
Read the report in full – 2026 Digital Policing Report.
Report sponsor SCC is hosting a follow-up webinar on 15 April. Registration information is now available.
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