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techUK are delighted to announce the new chair and vice-chair for our working group looking at interoperability across policing.

Lack of interoperability of tech solutions, systems and tools is a commonly recognised challenge in the policing sector, and indeed more widely across the ecosystem. techUK has developed an initiative, with a working group set up, that aims to address this challenge – ‘InterOp-Pol’.

We would like to thank Mark Goossens, IBM, Clare Elford, Clue Consulting and Raj Singh, Innotatio for all their contributions as our core committee and all they have achieved leading the working group since 2018. We have seen the creation and support of a charter and excellent collaborative working with other suppliers and stakeholders. We have seen excellent progress made with this initiative, displaying leadership, dedication and vital collaborative working to drive forward its success.

It is with great pleasure that techUK’s Justice & Emergency Services Programme can announce the following:

Chair: Neil Beet | Justice & Public Safety | Amazon Web Services

Vice-Chair: Robert Leach | Director | R Leach Consulting

“Information is described in the National Police Digital Strategy as “the lifeblood of Policing” - yet the ability to exchange information seamlessly between police & partner organisations, and different platforms and applications, is still not happening regularly enough. This is hampered by the many different IT systems’ current inability to interoperate.

“We are delighted to have been elected as Chair and Vice-Chair of the techUK InterOp-Pol working group, and we will continue the progress made by the outgoing working group to accelerate the development of open standards. This work will drive interoperability in policing, enabling the sharing of data across Justice & Public Safety organisations, their partners, and the citizens they serve.

“We know from work already undertaken that the supplier community is aligned to supporting police in this mission and we now need to make it happen. Our first priority is to meet with key stakeholders to discuss progress to date, align on outcomes and set new goals – with clear actions - on behalf of both Policing and suppliers and we will provide regular updates on our progress.”

In our second phase, communication, and discussions in relation to formal engagement from stakeholders will be made. techUK are committed to working with their members and policing partners to unravel the challenges of interoperability. If you are interested in hearing more, please get in touch with Georgie Henley.