From Innovation to Impact: Policing's Next Digital Challenge

As the NPCC Innovation & Digital Summit 2026 gets underway in Liverpool, Chief Constable Rob Carden, NPCC Lead for Digital, Data and Technology, and Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan, NPCC Lead for Science and Innovation, reflect on the progress made since last year’s event and look ahead at the challenges and opportunities of digital innovation for policing.  

Across policing, there is no shortage of innovation. New ideas emerge every day from officers, staff, analysts, technologists and leaders determined to improve how we serve the public. The challenge facing us is not whether we can innovate. The challenge is whether we can consistently turn innovation into operational impact at scale, while still keeping a focus on the basics – making sure officers and staff have the IT kit they need to succeed in their aim to keep the public safe. 

That challenge has never been more urgent. 

Police forces are operating in an environment of rising demand, evolving criminality, growing public expectations and significant financial pressure. At the same time, officers and staff continue to tell us that the technology they rely upon every day is not helping them as much as it should. Legacy systems consume valuable resources, slow progress and frustrate those on the frontline who simply want the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.  

Yet despite these challenges, there are strong reasons to be optimistic. 

In recent years, policing has laid important foundations for a more coordinated and effective approach to digital transformation. National governance structures have been strengthened. The National Prioritisation Model has helped align investment decisions with operational need. The National Data and Analytics Office has been established to improve the quality and accessibility of policing data. New partnerships with industry have been created, and a long-term IT Strategy and Roadmap now provides a clear vision for the future of national policing technology.  

These achievements matter because innovation is not simply about introducing new technology. It is about creating the conditions that allow good ideas to move from concept to adoption, and from local success to national benefit. 

Success is not measured by the number of pilots we launch or the sophistication of the technology we deploy. Success is measured by the problems we solve. It is measured by better outcomes for the public, better tools for officers and staff, and more effective use of limited resources.  

Encouragingly, we are already beginning to see what that future looks like. 

In North Wales, advanced modelling and optimisation techniques have shown how data-driven decision-making can transform operational effectiveness. Processes that once took months can now be completed in minutes, while modelling suggests significant improvements in emergency response performance. The real value is not the technology itself. It is the ability to provide leaders with better information and better choices. 

Elsewhere, Enhanced Video Response has demonstrated that policing does not have to choose between efficiency and service quality. Victims are receiving support more quickly, satisfaction levels are increasing, and officers are saving significant amounts of time that can be redirected towards frontline policing.  

Similarly, emerging artificial intelligence solutions such as Custodian AI show how responsible innovation can reduce administrative burdens, allowing officers and staff to focus more of their time on the work that only they can do. The opportunity is not automation for its own sake. It is freeing up capacity to improve policing outcomes. 

These examples are important because they demonstrate a shift in maturity. Increasingly, innovation within policing is becoming less about isolated projects and more about building a connected system of discovery, evaluation and adoption. 

The creation of a visible national innovation pipeline, the development of blueprinted solutions and a stronger focus on benefits realisation are helping to create that system. We are becoming better at identifying operational problems, testing solutions, measuring value and sharing learning across organisational boundaries. 

Regional science and innovation managers are playing a crucial role in this evolution. Acting as the connective tissue between local innovation and national priorities, they help forces identify shared challenges, evaluate solutions and spread learning more effectively. Their work demonstrates a simple but powerful truth: innovation rarely happens in isolation. It happens when good people, strong networks and shared purpose come together. 

The next challenge is scale. 

Policing has never lacked good ideas. Too often, however, those ideas remain confined to individual forces or are independently recreated elsewhere. In a service of our size and complexity, duplication is costly. It slows progress and limits impact. The question is no longer whether innovation exists. It is how quickly we can spread proven solutions across the whole service.  

That requires a different mindset. 

Local innovation must remain at the heart of policing. Some of the most powerful ideas emerge close to communities and frontline operational challenges. Local leadership, experimentation and problem-solving will always be essential. But when solutions demonstrate measurable benefit, there must be a clearer route to evaluation, adoption and wider implementation. Innovation can start anywhere, but its benefits should be felt everywhere.  

This is where police reform presents a significant opportunity. 

For perhaps the first time, policing has the chance to combine the strengths of local innovation with the capability, consistency and scale of a stronger national system. That does not mean reducing local autonomy. It means building shared capabilities, setting standards, avoiding duplication, sharing learning and solving common problems once rather than many times over.  

The prize is substantial. 

Technology should remove barriers, not create them. It should return time to policing, not consume it. It should help officers and staff focus on protecting the public, rather than navigating unnecessary complexity.  

The encouraging reality is that we are not starting from scratch. The networks exist. The foundations have been laid. The evidence is growing. Collaboration is already happening. Across policing, we are building a more connected national system that links operational need to innovation, innovation to adoption and adoption to measurable public benefit.