With one of the most important roles in modern society, the National Police Chiefs Council is utilising data to further protect individuals across the nation by building a National Police Data Board. The National Police Data Board is a cross-sector strategy and business plan that provides stronger data analysis capabilities for all 43 forces and agencies on behalf of the Chief Constable’s Council by serving to more than 200,000 officers and staff across the UK. Data is an untapped resource for different policing forces across the UK and it is being used to bolster public confidence in law enforcement.
“Innovative in the sense it has never been done before and for a purpose that is hugely important to us all.” – Judges’ comment
The concept of data being seen as a key asset by every police chief in the UK was unthinkable just five years ago, but now data is being embraced and used as a core tool. The National Police Data Board is formed of seven individuals on a voluntary basis – on top of their already demanding roles – to champion and establish a level of professional maturity to place data at the heart of a highly scrutinised and complex mesh of operations that impacts every individual in the UK.
The new data approach includes:
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A business plan for data and analytics capability build.
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A data literacy framework and core curriculum.
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Defined data and analytics role profiles.
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A digital data sharing advisory service.
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A standardised data maturity assessment focusing investment on the right areas.
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Building a central data and analytics service for all policing.
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Championing changes to the DP&DI Bill – to which the National Police Data Board have been called for committee-level input after a second Parliamentary reading.
Data remains relatively immature in most policing operations which makes getting the support for this development even more astounding, particularly when placed in the context of having to navigate dozens of different organisations that have mixed levels of communication and cooperation. The role of data is only set to increase, and the National Police Data Board is on track to lead a never-before-seen data maturity and data culture evolution.
